Guardian Angel
by gadzooks97
Summary: AU- Rukia, an angel, is sent to the human world for one month as a requirement for her to become a High guardian angel. She is taken in by Ichigo Kurosaki, a human. They fall for each other but Ichigo is hiding a dark secret. Is he really human? Ichi/ruki
1. High Guardian?

**Disclaimer: I do not own bleach**

**An angel's touch**

**Chapter 1**

**High guardian?**

"Your mission is to spend one month in the human world."

Rukia gasped and opened her mouth to speak but then remembered her place. She bowed and asked "What us the purpose of this mission, Yamamoto- sama?"

Yamamoto stroked his long beard. "Before any angel becomes one of the high guardians, they must spend at least one month in the human world to learn the ways of the humans."

Rukia bowed again, the ends of her wings brushing on the floor. "Arigatou, Yamamoto-sama. I will leave as soon as possible."

Yamamoto nodded. "A butterfly will find you shortly, to guide you on your way."

Rukia bowed once more and left. As she navigated the many walkways in the soul society, Rukia wondered what the human world was like. She, herself, had never been there but she had heard stories of strange metal objects and other weird things.

Rukia was in such deep thought that she didn't notice another angel approaching her. His upper half was covered in a white, with yellow streaks, tank top and he was wearing white pants (like the bottom half of a white shihakusho). Around his arm was a blue sash, marking him as a high guardian angel.

"Oi Rukia!"

Rukia almost tripped but quickly fluttered her wings to keep herself upright. She turned to look at the other angel. "Hello Renji" She said, noticing the red hair and tattooed arms.

Renji frowned, his tattooed eyebrows knitting together. "You don't sound very happy to see me..." He mumbled. Renji and Rukia were childhood friends. They had grown up in the soul society together but when Rukia was adopted into a noble angel family, that all changed. Now, Rukia hardly ever saw Renji, only talking to him when she happened to see him. It hadn't helped when Renji became one of the high guardians, serving under her brother.

"Renji, I'm going on a mission." Rukia said, wondering how he would react.

Renji's eyes widened and a grin spread across his face. "Congrats Rukia. So what is the mission?"

"I'm being sent to the human world for one month."

Renji was silent for a moment as he connected the dots. "The human world..? But that means... you're gonna become a high guardian!" Renji's grin grew even wider. "That's awesome, Rukia!"

Rukia looked away. "I guess... but nee-san didn't want me to become a high guardian."

Renji snorted with laughter. "Who cares what Byakuya thinks? He wanted me to die my hair but I didn't." Renji ran a hand through his long, red hair. "Just enjoy it, Rukia. You've earned it."

Rukia smiled. "Thanks"

"No problem."

A light tinkling was herd and a white butterfly flew in between them. Rukia reached out and the butterfly perched on her finger. Rukia's smile suddenly disappeared and she looked up at Renji with pleading eyes.

"I'm scared, Renji." Rukia whispered to him.

"Don't be scared. Just think of t as an adventure and enjoy it." Renji told her, giving her a hug, their wings brushing together for a moment. "Bye Rukia." He let her go and stood back.

Rukia smiled and closed hr eyes. She cupped both her hands around the butterfly and a yellow light enveloped her. She gently floated off the ground, her wings slightly waving in the wind. As the light pulsed brighter, Rukia opened her eyes and looked down at Renji. "Bye Renji." She said and vanished.

Renji stood there for a moment, looking at the place where she had been. Then suddenly he swore and kicked at the ground. "Damn! I forgot to tell her the message. I forgot to tell her that he had gone missing."

* * *

Rukia crashed to the ground, her wings crumbling underneath her. Panicked, she looked around at the darkness that was closing in on her. Relax, she told herself. Just do everything that you did in the practice.

Rukia picked herself up off the cold and damp ground. A small light shone in front of her and she realised it was the butterfly, showing her the way. She started to walk, ignoring the voices which called out to her. Rukia knew that if she listened to the voices, it would only end badly.

Suddenly all went quiet and Rukia saw someone very familiar step out of the shadows. The man had spiky black hair and was wearing a yellow robe that signified him as a guardian angel. He had a blue sash around his arm which showed his rank.

"Kaien?" Rukia stopped, shocked to see him. "How can you be here?"

Kaien smiled warmly. "Hey Rukia!"

_Rukia was holding an angel sword, also know as a zanpakutou. Kaien was running towards her, his black and yellow eyes revealing that he was possessed by a demon._

"_Kill him, Rukia!" Another angel called out to her._

"But..." Rukia stammered, tears filling her eyes. "I saw you die..."

_Kaien lunged at her and Rukia held out the angel blade, closing her eyes. When she opened them again, she saw that her sword had pierced through his chest. His blood dripped onto her as his eyes changed back to normal._

"_Rukia..." Kaien whispered to her._

_Rukia looked up at him, her face wet. They locked eyes one final time and then he was gone._

"It's really me." Kaien stepped closer. "Come here Rukia."

Rukia instantly grew wary. "Why?" She asked him.

"Come here!" Kaien's warm face grew angry. "Come here my little angel." His eyes slowly changed color, becoming black and yellow.

"Get away from me demon!" Almost too late, Rukia realised what was happening. The demon was trying to kill her by pretending he was Kaien. As the demon got closer Rukia stepped back and tripped over. The demon snarled with joy and Rukia screamed as it got even closer.

Suddenly Rukia remembered how to move her legs and she scrambled to her feet. She held out her right hand and her wings pulsed with a bright light as she said. "Dance Sode no Shira-" The white butterfly flew in front of her and suddenly the ground gave way. She found herself falling through the sky.

As she fell, Rukia took in her surroundings. Strange buildings, dark sky and twinkling stars. She had made it. She was in the human world. But there was a problem. She was falling too fast for her to slow her descent by using her wings.

"Bakudo 37 Tsuriboshi" Rukia called out, flinging her arms out in front of her. Her wings pulsed and a star-shaped shield appeared on the ground, cushioning her fall. As Rukia landed she saw someone running towards her and she spoke a quick spell, making her wings invisible. As the shield disappeared, Rukia tried to stand up, only to fall back down as the world filled with dots.

"I think I'm gonna fai-.." Rukia slumped to the ground, having lost consciousness. Just before she fainted, she saw a mop of brightly colored orange hair.

* * *

Ichigo Kurosaki mumbled angrily to himself as he tried once again to fall asleep. He knew that in a few hours, he would be woken up by his dad trying to attack him. Then he would have some pancakes made by his younger sister, Yuzu. After that he would go to school, completely ignoring his annoying friend Kiego and try to pay attent-

Ichigo, who was dreamily staring out the window, saw something which caught his attention. What looked like a bright star was falling through the sky, coming to land right near his house. Without a second thought, Ichigo bounded down the stairs, careful not to wake his Dad or sisters and raced out the front door.

_**Don't go...**_ Ichigo heard the double layered voice in his head but ignored it.

He ran around the corner of his street and sure enough, he could see the star, in a dent in the road. Ichigo raced forward to get a better look and then stopped. It wasn't a star! It was a girl around his age and she didn't look good.

Ichigo started running towards her again, noticing the scared look she gave him. He saw her mumbling something and realised she was saying, "I think I'm going to fai-.." The girl fainted before he could do anything, collapsing to the ground in an almost elegant way.

As Ichigo kneeled beside her, he took his first good look. She had short black hair, sitting just above her shoulders. She was wearing a long white dress with yellow streaks down it. She was bare- foot and wore a grey sash around her waist. Everything about her seemed mysterious but Ichigo paid no attention to the strange clothes she wore.

After a moment of indecision, Ichigo leant down and picked her up. As he picked her up, a white light shone briefly from his fingers before disappearing. What was that? He thought before carrying her back to his house as the sun rose.

* * *

A/N- Okay, so ... how is it? Plz review and yes I will continue it. I've already written half of chapter 2. And the high guardians are like the vice- captains, supreme guardians ar the captains. And the angel's wings are the source of thei power but more on that in the next chapter.. ;)

* * *


	2. Life in the human world

**Bold- **Shiro speaking

_Italics- _Ichigo's thoughts

**: I do not own bleach, I own some very cheapo figurines though....**

**Chapter 2**

**Life in the human world **

Rukia gasped and sat up, rubbing her eyes, "Where am I?" She asked herself, looking around. She was in a room filled with strange objects. The only thing she recognized was a bed, on which she was lying.

Curious, she eased herself off the bed and took a look at some of the strange objects. One of them was rectangular in shape, not much larger than her hand. Rukia tentatively reached out and touched it. Loud sounds suddenly filled the room and Rukia cringed, her hands flying up to her ears.

When the sound did not stop, Rukia held out her hand and shouted. "Bakudo 4 Byakurai" A white light shot from her hand and exploded the strange object, the loud sounds stopping.

Satisfied, Rukia smiled and sat back down on the bed before jumping up as the door flew open. A very angry looking, spiky orange-haired teen entered. He was the same boy she had seen just before she fainted. The teen took one look at his room and saw the smoking remains of the strange object.

"What the hell did you do to my alarm clock?" He shouted angrily.

Rukia whimpered and scrambled away from the teen, pressing herself up against the wall. She was scared of this human and didn't know what he would do to her. The boy, seeing her reaction, stopped shouting. "Sorry.. " He said to her but the scared look in her eyes didn't go away.

Sighing, the teen sat down on the bed next to Rukia and she warily moved away from him. "What's your name?" He asked.

Rukia bit her lip and didn't say anything. The teen sighed again. "My name's Ichigo Kurosaki." He held out his hand to Rukia who looked at it like it was from a different planet.

"Look, at least let me put something on the cuts on your face." Ichigo watched Rukia for a reaction but nothing happened. Ichigo then opened his hand, revealing antiseptic cream. He put some of it on his finger and reached out, lightly touching Rukia's face. Rukia flinched away from him but then relaxed.

Ichigo softly smoothed the cream over her cuts and slowly leant back. "All done.." He muttered, gazing into her eyes.

Rukia found herself gazing back, entranced by his golden brown eyes. "My name is Rukia. Rukia Kuchiki." She said softly.

Ichigo smiled, his face instantly transformed. "Nice to meetchya Rukia."

Rukia returned the smile, her purple eyes lighting up. Maybe humans aren't that bad, she thought to herself. Crossing his legs, Ichigo coughed and broke eye contact. "So.. are you new here?"

Rukia nodded. "I come from somewhere very far away." No need to specify where, she thought. She was sure that if she told Ichigo that she was an angel, it would lead to a lot of trouble.

"Do you have anywhere to stay?"

Rukia shook her head, her black hair waving back and forth. Ichigo noted this, thinking it was quite cute before realizing what he had just thought. Don't think like that, he told himself sternly. He turned his attention back to Rukia who was gazing around the room as if she had never seen anything like it. "Well if you want, you can stay here." Ichigo told her.

Rukia smiled again, a light blush appearing on her cheeks. "Are you sure it would be alright?"

Ichigo opened his mouth to reply but heard some loud noises coming from outside his room. Eyes widening, he quickly grabbed Rukia's wrist and pulled her off the bed. "Quick! Get into my cupboard!" When Rukia gave him a confused look, he rolled his eyes and shoved her into his closet, closing the door.

Just in time, no sooner had the cupboard door closed, the door to Ichigo's room opened and something came flying through. "GOOD MORNING ICHIGOOO!"

Ichigo groaned, catching his father's foot before it hit him. "Why the hell do you wake me up like this every day?" He said angrily, shoving his dad away from him.

His dad ignored his attitude, instead giving him thumbs up. "Great work Ichigo!" He shouted, grinning like a maniac. Ichigo glared at him and Isshin slowly backed out of his room, still grinning. When Isshin was in the hallway, Ichigo slammed his door shut.

Sighing, Ichigo walked over to his cupboard and opened it to see a slightly scared looking Rukia. "Welcome to my house." He said with a grin.

* * *

Rukia stared up at the top of the cupboard in which she was lying. Ichigo had put a few blankets in the cupboard for her to sleep with and had told her to stay put. He said that he had to go to a place called school. That had been less than half an hour ago and Rukia was already bored. After a moment of thinking, she quickly decided to explore around the human world. She sat up and slid the cupboard door open, light momentarily blinding her. When should could see again, she stood up and stretched her limbs.

Rukia made her way over to what looked like a way out. She placed a quick spell over herself so she would be invisible to humans and stretched her wings, enjoying the feeling of weightlessness. Hovering in the air, she smiled and flew forwards to the outside world. But instead, she hit an invisible barrier and fell down on Ichigo's bed. Rukia blinked, wondering what had happened and then got up to try again but the same thing happened. This time Rukia decided to try a different approach "Bakudo 4, Byakurai." She chanted and the 'barrier' was destroyed.

Extremely satisfied, Rukia flew outside. Now where should I go? She thought to herself. She scanned the surrounding area and then decided to find Ichigo. She quickly focused in on his reiatsu and flew off. As she flew, she looked down on the human world. She could see humans going about their everyday life and it fascinated her. Stopping in mid-air, Rukia decided to check out what some of the people were doing. She muttered a quick spell and her wings turned invisible. She floated to the ground, coming to rest in front of a big building.

Looking up with wide eyes, Rukia read the name of the building. "Urahara Shoten..." She murmured, a frown appearing on her face. She walked inside and noticed that he was in room filled with all sorts of strange items, some of which she had never come across before.

"Hello! What would you like to buy today?"

Rukia heard a voice and turned around. A man was standing there, holding a fan across his face. When he saw Rukia, his head tilted upwards, revealing his eyes underneath the green and white striped hat. "Rukia Kuchiki?" He questioned.

Rukia smiled. "Yes, Kisuke Urahara."

Urahara, walked over to her. "I'm surprised to see you here. I didn't expect you would be allowed into the human world because of your brother."

Rukia looked away. "I might have neglected to tell him...."

Urahara smiled. "Don't worry. I'm sure he won't mind." Rukia smiled her thanks and Urahara suddenly frowned. "But what are you doing in my shop?"

Rukia looked at him. "I was wondering what the best way to experience normal human life is. While I'm here, I might as well get to familiarize myself with human life."

Urahara nodded. "Well, for you the best way would be to attend one thing. What humans call.... school."

* * *

Ichigo sighed, leaning on the desk. For some reason, he just couldn't get Rukia out of his head. There was something about her, something which didn't seem to fit.

**You have to be careful about her, King. She might accidentally find out about our little secret.**

Ichigo almost jumped up but restrained himself. _I told you not to bother me during class.... _He thought angrily, trying to look like he was paying attention to the teacher.

He heard mocking laughter in the back of his mind. **Awww, I never thought that you of all people would actually want to pay attention in school. But then again, you keep on surprising me.**

_Shut up._ Ichigo sighed and turned his attention back to the teacher. After about a minute of concentration, Ichigo leaned back in his seat. _Shiro? _He asked.

**What? **Came the slightly annoyed reply.

_When school is finished, can you check up on Rukia's reiatsu? I want to make sure that she won't be any trouble to use._

**Why can't you do it?**

_Because if she is one of them, she'll suspect something and I still want to stay hidden for now._

**Well, I don't think we'll have to wait until after school.**

_What do you mean? _Ichigo asked, slightly confused.

**According to the location of her reiatsu, she's right outside the classroom door.**

_What?! _Ichigo fell off the chair and everyone in the class turned to look at him. "Uh... sorry." He grinned. "I felt faint." He scrambled to his feet and sat down on his chair, ignoring the strange looks he was getting.

The teacher eyed him for a moment. "Well then, if everyone would just stay o their chairs for a moment, it seems as if we have a new student."

The door opened and in walked Rukia Kuchiki, wearing the school uniform. A big smile spread across her face and she said "Hello. My name is Rukia Kuchiki and I'm an exchange student."

Ichigo's mouth dropped open and he slammed his head against the desk. Of all the places for her to turn up in, why did it have to be at school? He questioned himself. Rukia made her way through the class, sitting down in the chair that the teacher had assigned her. Of course, it was right next to Ichigo's.

Ichigo glared at her. "What the hell are you doing here?" He whispered angrily.

Rukia smiled. "I wanted to see what 'school' was all about. I've never been before so-" She suddenly stopped and quickly turned to face the front, looking as if she had given away too much.

Ichigo groaned and slouched back into his chair. _This can't be happening.... _He thought.

**Well it is and by the way, she is one of them. I just checked.**

Ichigo groaned louder and sank into his seat even more. This was going to be one long day.

* * *

A/N- :) Finally up! Sorry that its not that long but it was annoying me..... so I jut decided to upload it before trying to make it longer. I hope you liked it and if its slightly confusing with Ichigo and Shiro (Hichigo, Dark Ichigo whatever...) it'll make sense. Its not meant to make sense right now so just wait :) Plz review as always and the more reviews, the faster I update!


	3. Tsuki Kuro

**Disclaimer: I do not own bleach**

**Chapter 3**

**Tsuki Kuro**

**Shiro talking**

**_Tsuki Kuro Talking_**

_Flashback/ Dream_

Rukia sighed and put her hands behind her head. She was lying on her makeshift bed in Ichigo's cupboard. As she laid there, the thought about the day that she'd had. It was the first time she'd ever experienced anything like school, although the angel academy did come pretty close. Firstly, she had been introduced to Ichigo's friends.

"_This is Mizuiro." Ichigo said, pointing to a black haired boy. The boy smiled and waved at her. Ichigo then pointed to a short black- haired girl. "That's Tatsuki"_

_Rukia smiled "Hello Tatsuki" _

"_Hey...Rukia was it?" Tatsuki said, her eyebrows coming together as she tried to remember Rukia's name. Rukia nodded._

_Ichigo rolled his eyes and then pointed to an orange-haired girl. "That's Orihime Inoue"_

_Rukia bowed to Orihime "It is a pleasure to meet you"_

_Ichigo groaned, wondering if she was going to act this way to everyone but was surprised when Orihime bowed back "And you, Rukia" She said with a smile._

_Ichigo slammed his head against the nearest wall before grabbing Rukia's shoulders. Leading her away from the others, he whispered angrily "What are you doing?"_

_Rukia crossed her arms "I was trying to be friendly." She said, pouting._

_Ichigo groaned again. "It seems like you're just being creepy" Then he shook his head "Anyway, that wasn't what I was asking. I was asking why you're here."_

_Rukia was silent for a moment, trying to come up with something believable. Then finally she spoke. "Didn't I tell you that I was enrolled here as an exchange student?"_

_Ichigo's eyes narrowed "No... You didn't mention it...."_

_A smile appeared on Rukia's face "I am here because I'm an exch-" Rukia was cut off in mid-word when someone bowled her over. She sprawled to the ground, noticing that it was a brown haired boy who had knocked her over._

_Ichigo frowned, looking down at her and said, pointing to the boy "And that's Kiego."_

Rukia smiled as she remembered how she had tricked Ichigo into thinking that she really was an exchange student. "He's so gullible" She whispered to herself. "He even believed my story about why I've never drunk out of a juice box"

_Rukia sat with her legs crossed next to Ichigo and all of his friends. It was lunch time and they were all talking. Ichigo was busy discussing something with Mizuiro and so Rukia got bored. Seeing something on the ground, she picked it up. Curious, she poked at the rectangular shaped object. When nothing happened she frowned and leaned over towards Ichigo. "Ichigo.." She said and he stopped talking, turning to look at her. "What's this?"_

_Ichigo's mouth dropped open in disbelief. "Don't you know what a juice box is?" He questioned her. When Rukia shook her head, his mouth dropped open even further. "I understand the fact that you're an exchange student but how can you never have seen a juice box before?"_

"_Well, in my country we don't use these 'juice boxes'. We drink our juice fresh, making it ourselves." Rukia lied to him._

"_How exactly do you make juice?"_

"_Well..." Rukia paused "You get a couple of oranges and put them through this grinder. The whole fruit is ground into juice!" She smiled feeling happy with coming up with what she thought was a believable story._

"_That's weird..." Mizuiro said " We don't do it like that here"_

_Ichigo said nothing and instead showed her how to use the juice box._

Rukia struggled to suppress a laugh as she thought of the way that she had tricked Ichigo. After a moment, the urge to laugh disappeared and drowsiness washed over her. Rukia rolled over, pulling the blankets up over her head. She smiled dreamily as her thoughts became slower and she fell asleep.

_It was so thick. The air seemed to crush her, pressing in from all sides. She collapsed to her knees, gasping for breath. Through half-closed eyes she could see Renji standing in front of her. "Renji" She moaned "Help....help me."_

_But Renji said nothing, instead he just looked at her with vacant looking eyes. "You betrayed me Rukia" He suddenly said, a sad look appearing on his face._

_Rukia's thoughts struggled to keep up. "What?" She managed to say._

_Renji ignored her question "You betrayed me Rukia, so you don't deserve to live"_

_Rukia gasped, her eyes shooting open "But we're friends Renji!"_

_Renji sneered "Maybe we were before, but not now. You left me and betrayed me. You can no longer be my friend. You are now my enemy."_

_Rukia's vision swam with tears, "But ...but ... I didn't mean to! I didn't even have a choice" She shouted out in despair, tears falling from her eyes. She slumped suddenly, not wanting to look at him anymore because it would tear her apart. Eventually she gained enough strength to open her eyes only to find that Renji was gone. In his place stood Kaien, looking down at her with a smile. Rukia gasped "Kaien-dono!" She said happily, reaching out towards him._

_But as she reached, his face wavered and changed, black hair becoming orange. Rukia stopped, looking up with confused eyes. "Ichigo?"_

_Ichigo looked down at her with something close to a sad look on his face. Suddenly the air grew even thick and Rukia began to choke. She fell to the ground, her vision beginning to fade. "Why..." She struggled to say. "Why ... Ichigo?"_

Rukia gasped, sitting up in the darkness. She sat there for a moment before sighing with relief., realizing that it had just been a dream. Then she frowned, her purple eyes narrowing. The air around her was still thick and almost suffocating. It was someone's reiatsu and it was the strongest one that she had ever felt. Even stronger than Yamamoto's.

Deciding to go investigate, Rukia silently climbed out of her makeshift bed. She slid open the cupboard doors, and crept out. Glancing over t the bed, she noticed with relief that Ichigo was still sleeping soundly. Creeping across the floor, she reached out with one slender hand and quietly slid the window open. Her black hair blowing in the night breeze, she turned back around to look at Ichigo's sleeping form. "Sorry Ichigo..." She whispered and then jumped out the window.

She quickly unfurled her wings, the feathers catching in the air, lifting her up. Stopping for a moment, she lifted up one arm and drew a pattern in the air. Her wings flared with a white light briefly and when she looked down, she was wearing her angel dress. Satisfied, she closed her eyes and concentrated on the source of reiatsu. It didn't seem to be any sort that she had seen before, making Rukia even more curious as to who its owner was. Letting the reiatsu guide her, she drifted through the air until she arrived at the location it seemed to be coming from.

Opening her eyes, she slowly drifted down until her feet gently touched the ground. The first thing that she noticed was that grass covered the ground, lush and green. She then noticed that there were many trees and plants around. To her right, she noticed a couple of seats. Suddenly, she realised where she was, remembering that Ichigo had mentioned it to her. It was a perk... no.. a pork... no.... a park! Rukia's face lit up with a smile when she remembered the name. In a good mood, she began to walk through the park, looking for the source of the reiatsu.

As she walked, she noticed that the reiatsu was becoming thicker. Finally she came to a stop in a small clearing. As her eyes adjusted to the light, she realised that there didn't seem to be anything out of the ordinary. Just as she was about to turn around, she caught a flicker of movement out of the corner of her eye. There was someone there! "Whoever is there, come out now!" Rukia said loudly, eyes scanning the clearing,

She waited for a moment and then gasped. Walking into the clearing was someone or something that she had never seen before but she knew that it was the source of the powerful reiatsu. "Who are you?" Rukia questioned, hoping that her voice didn't sound as weak as she thought it did.

The person or creature didn't reply straight away. It had a humanoid body, two powerful looking arms and two legs. Its face was a terrifying mask that looked like a skull, two horns curving down either side of it. There were red markings that were on both sides of it and it had the yellow and black eyes of a demon. There was a hole right through the center of the creature's chest, black marks spreading out from it. The creature's muscled arms were ringed with strange symbols from an ancient language that Rukia didn't understand and its hands ended in sharp claws. The bottom half of the creature was covered in a torn, black hakama and its feet were also clawed. Massive black, feathered wings spread out from its shoulders, the tops of each wing had a sharp black claw.

Rukia suddenly grew cold, realizing that whatever it was could probably kill her within a second. The power of it was beginning to suffocate her. She was about to run away when the creature spoke _"__**You do not need to know who I am**_**" **It said in a strange voice that sounded like two people were talking at once.

Rukia froze "Are you a demon?" She said, her eyes widening in fear.

The creature shook its head and said in its double voice _**"No"**_

Rukia sighed with relief, relaxing visibly "Then what are you?"

"_**You do not need to know"**_ It repeated, moving towards her. It seemed like it was annoyed at her questions. _**"And that is not the right question you should be asking."**_

Rukia stepped back anxiously "Then .. can I ask... who are you?"

The creature stopped moving forward and with a slight dip of its head _**said " You are not allowed to know my true name but I am sometimes known as Tsuki Kuro."**_ It paused for a moment, noticing that Rukia was slowly edging away from it. _**"I'm not going to harm you, angel."**_ It said, sounding amused.

Rukia stopped moving away. _**"Then what are you going to do?"**_

Tsuki Kuro sighed and sat down on the grass, its clawed feet folded up underneath it. _**"I'm just going to sit here. . I miss having peace and quiet so I come here when I want some. That is what I was doing here before you interrupted my peaceful night."**_

"Sorry..." Rukia said.

Tsuki Kuro tilted its head and patted the grass beside it with its clawed hand. _**"Come and sit down. I promise I won't hurt you in any way."**_

Rukia hesitated for a moment and then walked forward, sitting down on the grass beside it. Because she was so close to the creature, the reiatsu was overwhelmingly powerful and it started to choke her. Tsuki Kuro, noticing her ragged breath's asked _**"Are you alright?"**_

"Can.. you control.. reiatsu?" Rukia gasped.

Tsuki Kuro just looked at her for a moment and then suddenly the reiatsu almost completely vanished. "_**Sorry, angel"**_ It said to her, apologetically.

"It's alright" Rukia said, enjoying being able to breathe properly again "By the way, my name is Rukia Kuchiki"

"_**Nice to meet you, Rukia"**_ Tsuki Kuro said in its double voice. _**"Wait- Kuchiki.. do you mean the noble clan Kuchiki?"**_

Rukia looked at it, surprised. "You know of it?"

The creature shrugged its shoulders. "_**It would surprise you how much I know about angels. But are you really from the Kuchiki clan?"**_

Rukia looked away, gazing up into the night sky. "I am but I'm only adopted. I was very young when it happened." She said softly. "Because of someone being adopted into a noble family was so rare, people always have high expectations of me. Most of the expectations I don't even live up to!" She gave a small, hollow laugh. "My own brother doesn't even talk to me. I think It's because he's disappointed in me..." She trailed off.

Tsuki Kuro turned its head to look at her. _**"I'm so sorry, little angel. It certainly is hard when things like that happen."**_

Rukia was surprised to hear that it sounded genuinely concerned for her. 'Have you ever had something like that happen to you?"

"_**All the time..."**_ It's black and yellow eyes gazed at her _**"People are always giving me high expectations. They always think that I am something I'm not."**_

Rukia sighed "So you know how I feel." She glanced at the sky, noticing that it was slowly getting lighter. "It looks like the sun is rising." She noted.

Tsuki Kuro glanced up, jumping to its feet. _**"It is too!" **_It turned back to Rukia _**"I'm sorry little angel but must go, It is not wise for me to be out in the daytime."**_

Rukia stood up. "Well, it was nice meeting you."

Tsuki Kuro nodded _**"You too, little angel. I will be here tomorrow night again, if you would like to come. I enjoyed having someone to talk to. Sometimes my life can get lonely."**_ It paused and then the air around it shimmered, the creature disappearing.

Rukia stood there for a moment, still trying to comprehend all that had happened. "I do wonder what he was though..." She said to herself. Suddenly she frowned, looking up at the sky again. "Oh crap!" She said loudly. "I have to get back before Ichigo wakes up!"

Rukia spread her wings as quickly as she could and flew back to the house. When she got there, she was relieved to see that the window was still open, and Ichigo was still sleeping. She quietly flew through the window and to the cupboard, getting inside. Shutting the door, she quickly changed her dress back into the pajamas she was wearing before she left. For one last touch, the whispered a brief spell and her wings vanished.

Just as she did this, a loud noise came from Ichigo's room. Rukia opened the doo a fraction, just enough to see what was happening. Ichigo's dad was flying through the air, straight towards Ichigo's sleeping form. At the last moment, Ichigo suddenly reached up and grabbed Isshin's foot. "What kind of sick father attacks his own son while he is sleeping?!" Ichigo asked, his face dangerously angry.

Isshin ignored the question. "Well done son! I have nothing left to teach you!" He leapt backwards, landing with a thump on the floor of the room, a big smile on his face.

Ichigo's eyes twitched angrily and he jumped out of bed "Get out of my room you sick freak!" When Isshin didn't move, Ichigo grabbed lamp that was on his bedside table and flung it at him. It his Isshin in the head, forming a large red lump. Isshin just gave the thumbs-up to Ichigo before running out of the rom.

Rukia, realizing that the coast was clear opened the cupboard door fully. Getting out she asked Ichigo who seem pretty mad "Does he do that every morning?"

Ichigo nodded "Almost every time I see him"

"Do you know why?"

Ichigo shrugged, sitting down on his bed. "I don't know. He says it's something to do with training but I have no idea for what." Noticing Rukia's thoughtful expression, he asked "What's wrong?"

Rukia shook her head. "I was just wondering how much time before school starts."

Ichigo looked at the watch that was on his bedside table "We have an hour and a half. Why?"

Rukia walked over to where her school uniform was neatly folded "I'm going to go and visit a friend. I'll meet you at school." Within five minutes, Rukia had changed and was ready. After checking if the coast was clear, she snuck out the backdoor of Ichigo's house, making sure that the rest of his family didn't notice.

Ichigo looked through his still open window.

"**She's probably off to find out about what she saw last night."**

Ichigo heard a voice say. Turning around to look at the owner of the voice, he replied "Yea." He turned back to watch Rukia running off into the distance. "Although, I had hoped that she wouldn't go looking for answers straight away. It makes things difficult."

"**Hmm... well she certainly is a curious one, that little angel." **

**

* * *

**

A/N- YAYYAYAY Finally up! Sorry for the long wait! I had exams etc.... but I wrote this chappy during a private study session O_o.. I was bored. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it and more should come soon! If you found it confusing, don't worry it'll all make sense in time.

P.S If I got the name for Tsuki Kuro round the wrong way, please let me know!

Until next time, Gadzooks97 O_o


	4. Everyone has a secret

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach, Tite Kubo does**

**_Tsuki Shiro talking_**

_Ichigo's/Rukia's thoughts_

**Shiro talking**

**Chapter 4**

**Everyone has a secret..**

Kisuke Urahara was lying down on his bed. He sighed, wondering if he should get up or not and then decided against it. Reaching lazily to his left, his hand closed around his fan. Drawing it closer to himself he flicked it open and shut. This activity only lasted for about a minute before he got bored and so he finally stood up. Yawning, he stretched his arms wide open just as the door opened. It was Tessai. "Miss Kuchiki wants to see you." He said.

Urahara sighed and picked up his striped hat off the floor. "Wonder what she wants now..." He mumbled to himself as Tessai left. Walking through the door, he noticed that Rukia was standing there with an angry look on her face. Urahara flicked his fan open and held it across his face as he walked over to her. "My, my Rukia. You seem to have woken up on the wrong side of the bed."

Rukia's angry face didn't change. "I want some information."

Urahara's eyes widened slightly. "What sort of information?"

Rukia bit her lip, her mind wandering to what had happened the night before. That mysterious stranger had interested her. He had looked like a demon but hadn't acted like one. Even though he had told her that he wasn't a demon, she still wasn't sure and before she could trust him entirely, she needed to know what he was. There was obviously something that he had been hiding as he wouldn't even tell her his name but Rukia felt like he wasn't 'evil' but it didn't hurt to check. Breathing in, Rukia asked "Have there been any sightings of strange creatures lately?"

Urahara thought for a moment. "What sort of strange creatures?"

"Well..." Rukia began "last night I met a creature who had demon eyes but didn't act like one. I want to know whether this creature is a threat or if it is harmless."

"I don't know. I haven't heard of any sightings of strange creatures. As for what the creature is, I'll have to ask some of my friends in the soul society. Strangely, all forms of communication with the soul society have stopped working for some reason..." Urahara said.

Rukia sighed. "You're getting off track. Do you have any idea what the creature is?"

"Well, apart from demons, the only other evil creature in this world is the devil." Urahara snapped his fan shut, suddenly becoming serious. "But the soul society knows where he is and I'm sure that we would have been notified if he was in the human world. Currently, I think he's in Hueco Mundo, a separate world that he rules over."

Rukia was silent for a moment, thinking about all that she had been told before asking "Who or what exactly, is the devil?"

"Well, I've only seen him once, when I was one of the guardian angels. It was during a battle that the soul society was waging against the devil. He was so powerful that hundreds of our best angels were killed in a fight against him. Many of the others became unconscious when they neared him due to the amount of power radiating from him. After defeating many of our angels single handedly, he disappeared off to his own land. The strange thing was that he could have destroyed the entire soul society with the power that he had but he didn't. I wonder to this day why he didn't but I still haven't come up with a reason." Urahara told Rukia.

Rukia's eyes widened "Is he really that powerful?" When Urahara nodded she asked him something else. "If he's that powerful, how does the soul society ever hope of defeating him?"

Urahara sighed. "I think that they're just hoping that he'll exhaust his power eventually. He must be tens of thousands of years old so eventually his power is going to disappear but it might not be for another thousand years or so. We just have to hope I guess."

Rukia nodded. "I guess so...." She paused "What do you want for the information you gave me?""

Urahara opened the fan and covered his face. His eyes glinted from the shadows cast by his hat as he said "I don't want any payment. I'm interested myself in who and what you saw so you don't need to give me anything."

Rukia frowned and wondered if he was trying to trick her or not. Deciding that he wasn't, she turned to go but Urahara called her name and she stopped. Reaching across the room, Urahara picked up an object off a small table and threw it to her. Catching it, Rukia examined the object. "What is this?" She asked, curious.

"It's called a mobile phone." Urahara explained "If I hear anything strange, I'll contact you through it." Noticing Rukia's bewildered expression; he sighed and briefly showed her how to use it. "Now, make sure you keep it near you at all times so you'll know the moment I find out anything."

Rukia smiled at him "Thanks Urahara." She said before walking off. When she was outside Urahara's shop, she stopped and took of her school bag. She put the phone in it and then slung the bag over her shoulder again. Straightening up, Rukia set off towards the school. As she walked, her mind once again drifted back to Tsuki Kuro. Its reiatsu had not felt like that of a demon... but it was so strong. It scared her slightly to think that Tsuki Kuro was even stronger than Yamamoto, according to its reiatsu. As she walked, she wondered whether she could sense the reiatsu in the day and so she stopped. Closing her eyes, she breathed in deeply and concentrated. Sure enough, she almost immediately felt the reiatsu and she focused harder to see where it was coming from.

Suddenly, she realised with a gasp that the reiatsu was coming from close by. Her eyes flew open and she turned around, following the reiatsu. It led to the shadows of a building not that far from her. Slowly edging forwards, Rukia tried to see into the dark shadows but found that she couldn't. She edged closer and closer. When she was almost there, her eyes adjust to the shadows and she saw two people. One of them had white skin and spiky white hair. The other one looked almost exactly the same but with a few differences. Before Rukia's eyes had fully adjusted to the shadows, they both ran off.

Sighing, Rukia walked out of the shadows, not bothering to pursue the two strangers. She had been sure that the reiatsu was Tsuki Kuro's but the people she saw hadn't even looked the slightest bit similar to the creature. The strange thing was that both of them had seemed vaguely familiar to Rukia although she couldn't quite place them. Blinking as her eyes adjusted to the sunlight, Rukia continued walking to the school, arriving minutes later. As she arrived, she noticed that Ichigo was sitting outside the school, waiting for her. When he saw her, he walked over giving her a casual grin.

"Hey. What took you so long? I've been here for ten minutes!" Ichigo complained.

Rukia shrugged. "I had something to do." Something about the way she said it made Ichigo decide not to pursue the subject any further. Together they walked into the school just as the bell rang. As Rukia walked, realization hit her. The two people she had seen had looked like Ichigo which was why she'd thought that they had looked familiar. Wondering if they were relatives of his, Rukia decided to ask Ichigo later.

When they arrived at the classroom, the teacher was already there but she ignored them as they slipped into their seats. "So... today we will be learning about..." The teacher began, turning around to write something on the board.

Ichigo groaned, wondering if they were going to learn about something interesting or not. He slumped in his chair, not bothering to look like he was interested. He glanced over to the left and saw Orihime sitting there with a dopey look. _She's probably already thinking about what to eat for lunch. _Ichigo sighed and glanced over to where Rukia was sitting. Rukia, unlike most of the class, seemed to really be paying extreme attention to every little thing that the teacher was saying. She had a notebook in front of her and was writing down everything, word for word. Ichigo's eyebrows rose at this and he wondered why she was paying so much attention to the teacher.

**It's probably because she's never been to a human school before.**

_Shiro..._ Ichigo thought angrily. _Don't bother me and make sure you hide so she doesn't sense you._

**Aww. You're no fun! Anyway, Rukia sensed us before, when we were in that alleyway. She's gonna figure things out eventually.**

Ichigo sighed. _I know but I still don't want her to know... just yet .Who knows what she's going to do to me when she finds out..._

Ichigo could almost see Shiro's grin as he said. **She's no match for us. We could kill her in a second if we wanted to...**

_But we don't, _Ichigo finished. _And it's not just that. If she finds out its going to cause all kinds of problems and it would be the end of a normal life for me._

**You could never be normal Ichigo. It's just not possible for someone like you.**

_Shut up... _came Ichigo's weak reply.

**Anyway, can't you sense it? **_**She's**_** almost found us and when that happens, your life will never be peaceful again. **

Ichigo groaned and resisted the urge to bang his head against the desk. He was about to reply when he noticed that the teacher was standing right in front of his desk and she didn't look like she was happy. "What do you think you're doing Ichigo Kurosaki?! Detention!" The teacher shouted at him, before walking out to the front of the class. "And you'd better pay attention from now on or else." An evil spark glinted in her eyes. "Now, back to where I was before that little incident..." She began to drone on again and the class' attention turned back to the front.

Sighing Ichigo mentally told Shiro to shut up and not bother him for the rest of the day before he tuned in on what the teacher was saying. Rukia, who was sitting next to him, was still staring at him but Ichigo was completely oblivious. _Strange... I could swear that his reiatsu surged just before. It's almost as if..._Shaking off a feeling of foreboding, Rukia turned her attention back to the teacher. _I must have just imagined it. _

_

* * *

_

**Later that night**

Rukia was sitting in the park, looking up at the night sky. Her wings were folded against her back, the feathers brushing against the ground. Her delicate hands rested on her knees and as a particularly cold gust of wind hit her, she drew her legs up against her body. She had a look of longing in her deep purple eyes as her gaze swept across the twinkling stars before they rested on the creature sitting next to her.

Tsuki Kuro had its legs crossed underneath it and it was leaning back, its strong arms supporting its body. Its black wings were folded up and its head was tilted toward the sky although Rukia wasn't sure what it was looking at.

Rukia had arrived moments before and the pair had yet to speak a word. When Rukia had arrived, Tsuki Kuro had already been there, staring up at the sky. When she sat down he hadn't even glanced at her and so she hadn't said anything. As they stared up into the sky, Tsuki Kuro suddenly turned its head towards her and blinked its eyes. _**"Why did you come back, little angel?"**_It questioned.

"Because" Rukia explained "I too love the peace and quit." She smiled. "But I also want to know more about you."

"_**Like what?"**_

Rukia breathed in and whispered to him. "What are you?"

Tsuki Kuro shook its head, "_**I told you already that I'm not going to tell you." **_The creature leaned forward and stretched out its heavily muscled arms. _**"Is that really why you came back? To find out what I am?"**_

This time it was Rukia's turn to shake her head. "No. To tell you the truth, I really enjoyed last night. It was the first time in ages that I could really talk to someone without worrying about what I was saying. I mean, in the human world I have to be extremely careful about what I say. Also, even back in the soul society, I had to be careful as to what I could say in front of my brother because he's a noble and he acts like one. Even my friend Renji and I have grown further apart and I hardly ever talk to him...When I do, the conversation Is strained and awkward. But last night, I felt like I could trust you completely."

Tsuki Kuro sighed. _**"Well I'm glad that you feel that you can trust me."**_

"But..." Rukia paused. "I'm still unsure as to whether I should trust you or not. I mean I don't even know who you really are because you won't tell me." When Tsuki Kuro opened its mouth to speak she cut it off "I'm not going to ask again. I know you won't tell me but can I at least know why you can't tell me?"

"_**Because..."**_ It said, looking directly at her. _**"If you knew you wouldn't be here right now."**_

Rukia's eyes widened. "What do you mean?"

"_**You wouldn't be here right now because you wouldn't trust me. You'd probably even hate me."**_

"Well..." Rukia stopped, wondering what to say. "I'm sure it's not that bad. I mean, I've seen how nice you can be so I'm sure that it wouldn't matter."

But the creature shook its head. _**"It would matter, little angel."**_

Rukia opened her mouth to speak but was interrupted by a loud ringing noise. The phone that she had stuck into her sash was ringing. Looking up, she said "I'll be right back" and stood up, walking behind a nearby tree. Opening the phone she tried to remember how to answer it but then it suddenly came back to her and she pressed a button. Holding it up to her ear she said. "Hello?"

"Hello Rukia. I hope I didn't wake you"

Rukia rolled her eyes, recognizing the voice as Urahara's. "Have you found anything?"

"No. I was just wondering if you could get me som-"

"Don't ring me just for things like that!" Rukia growled into the phone. "Now, have you really found anything?"

The phone was silent for a moment before "I managed to establish communications with the soul society now and they told me some rather interesting things."

"Like what?" Rukia asked.

"Well, it seems that the devil's power has finally run out and he was captured by the soul society just over an hour ago. They intend to execute him a soon as possible."

Rukia sighed with relief "That's good news." She paused "but I have a feeling that that wasn't the interesting things that you found out. What else did they tell you?"

"Well, you're right. That wasn't why I rang you. I asked about creatures with massive amounts of power and was told that there is one creature that is extremely powerful. Hmm... Apparently there is someone who is as powerful as the devil was, possibly even more powerful."

"Who could possibly be as powerful as the devil was?" Rukia asked, becoming worried.

"Well, that's what I thought too. But apparently, the devil has a son."

Rukia went cold "Are you sure?"

"Positive. He has apparently been in hiding for ten years so the soul society isn't sure where he is but they think that that he would be in a town in the human world. They also think that it is a possibility that he could be hiding out in Karakura because this town is one of the few with many strong souls. Be careful Rukia, apparently his power is even stronger than Yamamoto's"

Walking further away from Tsuki Kuro, she whispered. "Do you have any information on what he may look like?"

"Yes. Although he hasn't been seen for over ten years, he always has more or less the same appearance. I haven't seen him so I have no idea what he looks like but I am told that he has the appearance of a man with a hole in his chest."

Rukia's heart began to pound and she stole a look at Tsuki Kuro, who was still gazing up at the night sky. "Anything else?"

"Yes. He wears a skull-like mask with red markings on it and he has two black wings."

Rukia's hands began to shake. No... It can't be, she thought to herself, impossible! Wetting her lips she asked "Are you sure that all this information is correct?"

"Yep. I'm sure. Also, his eyes are yellow and black like a demon's" Urahara paused and the phone crackled "Is something wrong Rukia?"

Rukia shook her head, and tried to calm down. Then, realizing that Urahara couldn't see her she said "No." She breathed in deeply. "Was there anything else that you were told?" It must just be a co-incidence, she thought. There is no way that he could be the devil's son. But the next thing that Urahara said made her freeze in terror.

"He calls himself Tsuki Kuro although it's not his real name." Urahara paused for a moment and then spoke again. "Apparently no one knows what his real name is."

Rukia's hand flew to her mouth. "No..." Her heart pounded louder and louder, her breaths became short and ragged. Slowly peering around to where Tsuki Kuro was sitting, fear filled her purple eyes and suddenly she gasped. Where Tsuki Kuro should have been was an empty clearing. He had disappeared. Backing away, Rukia tripped over what she thought was a tree. Sprawled on the ground, Rukia looked up and she realised what she had really tripped over. Her breath caught in her mouth as her entire body began to shake in fear.

"_**Where do you think you're going my little angel?"**_ Tsuki Kuro grinned down at her, his head tilted on an angle. _**"Did you think you would get away that easily?"**_ He grabbed her wrist and pulled her up so that his face was level with hers, resulting in Rukia dropping the phone. The phone fell to the ground; landing in a patch of lush grass and because of this, Rukia missed the last thing that Urahara said. She missed one crucial sentence.

"And he has short, spiky orange hair."

* * *

A/N- WOOT! Another chappy up! Hope u liked my double cliffy! Has to be one of the biggest cliffies I've ever written.. I'm so proud! And for those of you who still haven't figured out who Tsuki Kuro really is well don't worry! It will be revealed next chappy! And I'm pleased to say that I made myself sit down the other day and write the whoe story plan for this story so updates should be relatively close together and fast! But at the same time, I'm reluctant to finish it cause I have so much fun writing this story!

Thanks to all those who have reviewed and as always plz review! Criticism is welcome! Flames.. not so much... but I'm willing to tak into account anyone else's ideas if you have any although the story probably won't change much but I'm always looking for ways to improve my writing!

OOh and I just wanted to say that I'm so excited cause I got a Soi FOn cosplay outfit the other day! YAY! This'll be my first time that I get to go cosplaying from bleach! (Last tiem I went as Mitsekuni from Ouran High)

Until next time, Gadzooks97


	5. Love and betrayal

**A/N- Finally up.... *bashes head against keyboard***

**Disclaimer: I do not own bleach, Tite Kubo does....**

**Chapter 5**

**Love and betrayal**

"_**Where do you think you're going my little angel?"**_ Tsuki Kuro grinned down at her, his head tilted on an angle. _**"Did you think you would get away that easily?"**_ He grabbed her wrist and pulled her up so that his face was level with hers, resulting in Rukia dropping the phone. Rukia's body froze and she was unable to move. She was face to face with him, with the devil's son. The person that had befriended her and gained her trust just so that he could use her. Suddenly, rage welled up in Rukia and she flapped her wings once, wrestling free of the devil's grip.

She landed on the ground, both feet spread on the ground, ready to run but something stopped her. He was just standing there, looking like he always did and that did not seem right to her. She slowly lowered her arms and they dropped to her sides. Are..." She trailed off, unsure if she even wanted to ask the question. Then, breathing in deeply, she asked it "Are you really the devil's son?"

Tsuki Kuro blinked his demon eyes at her and said _**"Yes, I am"**_

Rukia bit her lip and looked away, trying to hold back the tears that were blurring her vision. "Why did you lie to me?"

Tsuki Kuro shrugged and crossed his arms. _**"I**_ _**didn't lie to you; I just didn't tell you the truth."**_ He paused and stepped forward towards Rukia. _**"I didn't want to tell you because I knew that this was how you would react and I wanted to keep our friendship."**_

"Our friendship?!" Rukia turned to glare at him, her body shaking from the rage that was inside her. "Our friendship?!" She shouted at him, tears beginning to run down her face. "You lied to me and used me!"

"_**Why would you think that?"**_ Tsuki Kuro tried said in a challenging voice, as if daring her to say what he was thinking _**"Even though I am the devil's son, nothing changes"**_

"Nothing changes?" Rukia said in an almost hysterical voice "You're my enemy Tsuki Kuro. I want to believe that this is all just one big joke but I know that it's not. I know that I was trick and manipulated by you. No matter what you say now, I'm never going to trust you again." She looked away, pained to even look at him, now that she knew who he truly was.

Tsuki Kuro stepped forward, one arm reaching out to Rukia _**"Rukia....."**_ He said softly, sounding hurt.

Rukia bit her lip, feeling a warm feeling when she realised that he had called her by her name but then she realized what the feeling was. Her eyes widened. No, she told herself. I can't be feeling this for someone like him. Just the thought of it made her horrified and even angrier. Rukia snapped. She turned back to face him, rage in her eyes and seeing his outstretched hand she yelled. "Don't you dare try and touch me, you filth." She snarled angrily, clenching her hands into fists. Her power began to rise, controlled by the amount of anger that she was feeling. Just looking at Tsuki Kuro standing there fuelled it even more. "I'm going to kill you Tsuki Kuro, even if I die trying." She said murderous intent in her eyes.

Suddenly with a shout, she lunged at him, flapping her wings hard. She hit him in the shoulder, twisting her hand and a beam of light shot into the devil. He was flung back a short distance, quickly regaining his footing. "_**I don't want to fight you, little angel."**_ He growled at her, demonic eyes narrowing.

Rukia didn't listen to him and instead she suddenly disappeared with a small sound. Tsuki Kuro glanced around, looking for her when she suddenly appeared behind him, one arm pointing at his chest. Rukia snapped her fingers and a massive blast erupted from her fingertips, exploding into the devil's body. Landing a safe distance away, Rukia tried to calm her fast breathing. Blood dripped down on her arm, showing exactly what the attack had cost her. Ignoring the numb feeling in her arm, Rukia watched as the smoke cleared. "Did I kill him?" She muttered incredulously but she soon saw the figure standing upright and seemingly unhurt in the middle of the clearing.

Tsuki Kuro had his eyes closed and he seemed calm. Suddenly, he snapped his wings open to their full length, the coal black of them catching Rukia's eyes so that she almost missed what happened next. Breathing in deeply, Tsuki Kuro's eyes suddenly slid open, fixing Rukia with their unsettling stare. _**"You have forced me to actually fight you, little angel."**_

"That's good."

Tsuki Kuro shook his head, a hollow laugh filling the air "**You don't get it do you. You didn't even scratch me before when I wasn't even using any of my power. Compare to me, you power is so insignificant. There is no way that you could beat me, little angel. You would only die trying so my suggestion to you is that you run away before you are killed."**

Rukia frowned, realizing that he was insulting her. "Do you really think that I would act like a coward?"

The devil sighed "_**I suppose not."**_ He said in his double-layered voice. "**Now lookout Rukia, here comes the black moon**." He leaned forward, suddenly disappearing. Rukia's eyes widened a fraction. The technique that he had used was not dissimilar to an angel's shunpo but it was faster and more deadly as Rukia soon realised.

Feeling something on her neck, Rukia's glanced down to see Tsuki Kuro's clawed hand ready to slice her neck. Gasping, Rukia flung herself around, using her wings as a shield against him. Tsuki Kuro stood in front of her, his eyes filled with a cold look. Feeling uneasy, Rukia held out one arm. "Dance" She said, her wings beginning to glow "Sode no shirayuki." Her wings suddenly shattered into a thousand white pieces. They fell slowly through the air before forming together to make the shape of a sword. Rukia's hand closed around the hilt, swinging the sword around in a circle. A white ribbon streamed from the pommel, forming a circular shape around her.

Holding the angel blade out in front of her, Rukia met Tsuki Kuro's eyes "What are you waiting for?" She asked him, seeing that he seemed hesitant to move. He could have easily killed her while she was summoning her sword but he hadn't. "Don't take pity on me." She sneered, suddenly disappearing. She re-appeared next to Tsuki Kuro, her angel blade pointing to one side. The white ribbon curled to form a circle and suddenly, the ground beneath the two of them began to glow "Some no mai" Rukia said softly "Tsuki Shiro." She leapt out of the way just as a pillar of ice formed from the ground up into the sky. Rukia could see Tsuki Kuro's frozen form in the middle of the pillar "You may be powerful" She said "But you're no match for someone like me who's smart." She slashed her sword down on an angle in front of her and the pillar of ice suddenly shattered.

Rukia sighed, knowing that she had done the right thing. The devil's son was dangerous. The fact that he was in the human world, meant that he was planning something and Rukia was sure that whatever it was, it wasn't good. Walking away from the shards of ice, Rukia's mind drifted back to the conversation that she had had with Tsuki Kuro the night before. Tsuki Kuro had said that people always thought that he was something that he was not. Rukia frowned, realizing that he must have been talking about his true identity but somehow that didn't seem right to her. Shaking off the strange feeling that she was getting, Rukia glanced back at the clearing.

Her emotions were in turmoil as if she herself didn't know what to feel after finding out the truth. Not once in the time that Rukia had been with Tsuki Kuro had he tried to kill her. Could he have actually been telling the truth, Rukia wondered. Biting her lip, Rukia gazed around the clearing, her heart longing to see something that hinted that Tsuki Kuro was still alive. Finding nothing, Rukia's head dropped, tears beginning to form in her eyes. "Why do I feel like this?" She screamed at the sky "He's my enemy but yet I want him to still be alive." She closed her eyes, tears falling down her cheeks "He betrayed me, lied to me and worst of all, attacked me so why, why do I feel like this?" But there was no reply, the night was deathly silent as if it was taunting her. Rukia sobbed to herself, hands clenching into fists. With one sweep of her white wings, she was in the sky and flying back to Ichigo's house.

Only after she left, was there movement in the clearing. A figure stepped out from behind the trees. It was Tsuki Kuro. He had not died when Rukia had attacked him, instead he had hid from her. It pained him to see her distraught but there was nothing that he could do. If he had revealed that he was still alive she would've attacked him again and Tsuki Kuro did not want to be forced to attack her back. But there was another reason as to why he did not want her to see him. When Rukia had attacked him using her swords ability, his mask had been caught in the circle and had shattered. Tsuki Kuro did not want Rukia to see him for who he truly was. "It's better if she doesn't know" He whispered to no one in particular, gazing after Rukia with his now amber eyes. Reaching up on hand, he ruffled his spiky orange hair "I'm so sorry Rukia." He disappeared.

* * *

Rukia flung herself on her own little make-shift bed, tears streaming down her face. She buried her head in her pillow, gently sobbing. She could not believe it. All this time, Tsuki Kuro had been her enemy. She had placed her trust in him but he had betrayed her. "I'm so stupid!' She whispered softly to herself, believing every word. Hugging the pillow closer, she sniffled once, more tears falling gently on her cheek. "How could I have been fooled like that?" She mumbled, angry at herself more than anything else.

There was a throbbing pain in her chest but Rukia tried to ignore it, knowing full well what it meant. "I thought that I'd finally found someone who I could trust completely but I was wrong." Pain and loss was evident in her purple eyes as they blinked slowly "It was obvious that someone who had that much power and was not an angel could only be evil but still I didn't see it. My love for him..." She choked up suddenly, having finally said the thing that scared her the most. She had only known Tsuki Kuro for a small amount of time but yet it seemed as if he had stolen her heart. Her sympathy and friendship had gone out to him when he had talked to her resulting in a strong feeling of friendship. No, Rukia thought, I can't lie to myself anymore. I was in love with him. I was in love with Tsuki Kuro and he has broken my heart.

Rukia sobbed louder, finally acknowledging the truth. Brother, she thought, I am sorry for shaming you. I didn't mean to fall in love with him but I couldn't help it. She lay there for a moment longer, all her anger spent and exhaustion was beginning to catch up with her. Her eyes slowly drifted close. Suddenly, she heard a sound come from outside the cupboard. From Ichigo's room. She sat up, her heart pounding in fear and slowly slid the cupboard door open.

The moonlight streamed through the closed window, bathing the room in pale light. Dark shadows flickered across the room as a bird flew past the window. It was deathly silent like a graveyard. Rukia's wide eyes traveled across the room, looking for any sign of movement but there was nothing apart from Ichigo breathing in and out. Closing her eyes, Rukia concentrated hard and found a trace of demon reiatsu in the room. Her eyes flew open, her heart beginning to pound again. She lightly slid her feet to the floor and stood up, careful to make not even the slightest sound. She followed the demon reiatsu, eyes half shut. When she almost tripped over something, she lost her concentration but it didn't matter. She had found the source.

Rukia gasped, not bothering to keep quiet and she stepped back, falling to the ground. "That's impossible..." She said a horrified look on her face. The demon reiatsu that she had felt was coming from none other than Ichigo. As far as Rukia knew, there was no way that a human could have demon reiatsu unless he was a demon. Hoping that she had just made a mistake, Rukia got to her feet. She stepped forward and placed one slender hand on Ichigo's shoulder. "Please don't be true..." She whispered, almost pleading.

She breathed in deeply and sent a light pulse of her reiatsu into Ichigo's body. She knew that this was a certain way to find out if the demon reiatsu had actually come from him. Her reiatsu would instantly react if he was a demon and if he was human, nothing would happen. She opened her eyes reluctantly, expecting to feel a reaction of some kind but there was nothing. Breathing out a sigh of relief, Rukia realised that she must have just imagined it. She stood there for a moment, watching Ichigo's sleeping form before she crept back to the cupboard, sliding the door shut. She sat there in total darkness, suddenly remembering Tsuki Kuro and everything that had happened. "How could I have forgotten?" She whispered, drawing her legs up close. "I killed him" She bit her lip, great sadness filling her once again.

"What should I do..?" Her eyes slid shut, tears forming in them once again. As soon as her eyes were shut, an image of Tsuki Kuro leapt into her mind. He was sitting in the clearing in which she had first met him. He was looking up at the stars in the sky with a look of longing in his demonic eyes. Rukia unconsciously bit her lip, pained by the image. She felt great pain in her chest, caused by her love for the devil's son.

"Why do I feel this way?" She asked the universe again. It just wasn't right that an angel like her loved a creature of evil like Tsuki Kuro. Taking a deep breath in Rukia opened her eyes, a tear sliding down her face.

Suddenly, there was a thump from Ichigo's room and the cupboard door slid open. Ichigo stood there, obviously still half asleep. His hair was a mess, even more than usual and his pyjamas were all crumpled. His eyes widened when he saw Rukia's upset look. "Are you alright?" He asked, concern evident in his voice.

Rukia looked up at him, trying her hardest not to burst into tears. "I'm completely fine" She said, her voice wobbling. "Why would you thi-" She stopped suddenly as Ichigo embraced her.

"I know you well enough Rukia to know when you're not alright. I can tell that you're hurt. What happened?" Ichigo let go of her and sat down, gazing at her upset face with his amber eyes.

Rukia sniffled "I don't really want to talk about it." She mumbled, not ready to tell anyone about what had happened, least of all Ichigo. Ichigo nodded as if he understood where she was coming from. Seeing that he was about to get up, Rukia grabbed him "Can you.." She trailed off, unsure of what she actually wanted from him "Can you just stay with me for a while? I just need a friend right now."

Ichigo gave her a pitying expression and sat back down next to her, one arm over her shoulder. The two were silent for a moment when Ichigo spoke "I've only known you for a couple of days, Rukia but for some reason, I feel like I know you extremely well." He laughed lightly "Do you feel the same way?"

Rukia was silent for a moment, realizing that Ichigo trusted her just like she had trusted Tsuki Kuro. Tsuki Kuro had lied to her and she had lied to Ichigo. She grimaced and Ichigo noticed "Do you want to talk about it?"

Rukia's eyes slowly opened and she nodded "There was someone who I met a couple of days ago. I trusted him completely; I even started to fall in love with him." Ichigo started when she said this but she didn't notice and continued to talk "I found out just before that he was lying to me the whole time. He wasn't who he had said he was." A single tear trickled down her cheek "He was just using me for his own purposes. He broke my heart Ichigo." She whispered softly.

Ichigo's amber eyes softened as he looked down at Rukia's distraught face. "I'm sorry Rukia. It must have been hard on you."

"What do I do Ichigo?" Rukia's purple eyes met his amber ones.

Ichigo's amber eyes slid away from her "I'm not sure Rukia. Maybe you could give this person a chance. You might be over-reacting and making it seem like a bigger issue than it really is. Try to find this man and get him to explain himself to you. The reason for him lying to you might be something that is not really that bad."

"Try and find him..?" Rukia whispered. But I can't, she thought to herself. I killed him. She closed her eyes again, full of pain. "I can't" She said softly, tears falling down her cheeks. "I can't..."

"Rukia!" Ichigo said to her sternly "Surely whatever this person did to you can't be so bad as to not forgive! I'm sure someone like you would not place her trust in someone that was like that. I'm sure that the person might have good in them after all."

Rukia's eyes opened, staring up at Ichigo in wonder "Ichigo..." She said softly, unsure of what else to say. He was telling her that she had been wrong in thinking that she had been betrayed but it didn't matter now. Tsuki Kuro was dead so there was no way for Rukia to find out for certain. Shaking her head slowly, Rukia placed her hand on Ichigo's hand "Thank you" She said, meaning it. Just being able to talk to someone about what had happened made Rukia feel happier "Thanks Ichigo." She gave him a small smile.

Ichigo smiled back at her "No problem" He said, standing up "I think it's best if you got some sleep now. You still have to go to school tomorrow and it wouldn't be good if you were too tired to concentrate, would it?"

Rukia shook her head and as Ichigo walked into his room; she slid the cupboard door shut enveloping herself in darkness. She lay her head down on the pillow, thinking about everything that Ichigo had just told her "I can't blame myself." She said "I have to look towards the future and move past this. I have to let go of Tsuki Kuro"

* * *

"Are you sure that you're alright?"

Rukia sighed. "Yes, for the fifth time, I'm alright now." Ichigo and her were walking to school, bags slung over shoulders. The rays of light from the sun just peeked over the tops of the building surrounding them, casting long shadows. As they walked in silence, Rukia gazed about, eager to take in everything. To Rukia's left was a small cluster of homes, not dissimilar to Ichigo's. They each were painted in a light brown colour that made Rukia think of the earth. As Rukia looked at the houses, a sky blue bird flew by, calling out its song for the world to hear. It fluttered and landed on a tall tree, ruffling its feathers happily. Rukia smiled. Seeing the bird made her long for home, for the soul society. There, there were no hardships that Rukia had to face.

Breathing in slowly, Rukia's thoughts turned inward. She knew that it was possible for her to return to the soul society, to leave everything behind but she knew that in her heart she did not want that. It wasn't the thought of Tsuki Kuro or the fact that she would not be able to become a high guardian if she returned before the month was up. Those were just excuses. Closing her eyes as she walked, she looked deep within herself for the true answer and when she found it, warmth enveloped her. It was because of friendship. In the short amount of time that she had been here, Rukia had already made friends and she did not want to lose that friendship just to escape the problems that she faced. She smiled to herself and her foot suddenly got caught, sending her stumbling forwards. Her eyes flew open as she fell to the ground, wishing that she could use her wings.

Rukia landed on her hands, jarring her arms. A stinging pain that felt like someone was pressing red hot iron to her skin came from her hands. She lifted one up to see what was causing it and noticed that a layer of skin had been rubbed off, leaving her hands red and sore. Shifting her position so that she was kneeling down, Rukia lifted her other hand off the pavement, wincing as the pain suddenly intensified before dulling. Biting her lip, Rukia looked down at her sore hands, not sure what to do. Normally she could heal them quickly but it was too dangerous when a human was around. Her eyes suddenly widened and she looked up, almost expecting to see no one there but Ichigo was there, looking down at her with a concerned expression.

"Are you alright?" He asked, crouching down next to her. He followed her gaze and noticed her red hands "Ouch. That looks like that would hurt." He paused, considering what to do before standing up. He gently put his arms around Rukia's waist and hoisted her to her feet so that she didn't have to use her hands "Here you go." He said, giving her a smile and letting his hands drop to his side.

Rukia stood there quietly, one foot absently tracing a circle on the ground. After a moment, she realised something "Ah! Than... thank you!" She stammered, looking at the ground. Her raven black hair fell over her eyes, shadowing them as she stood there, not knowing what to do.

"Don't do that."

Rukia jumped as a hand touched her face but she calmed down, realizing that it was only Ichigo. He tilted her head up so that he could see her wide eyes staring at him with a look of embarrassment. He sighed and let his hand drop to his side "Don't hide your eyes like that Rukia."

Rukia nodded slowly, her slender fingers linking together. She picked up her bag which had slid off her shoulder when she had fallen, and slung it over her shoulder "Um..." She muttered softly, entranced by Ichigo's amber eyes which were staring into her "We should go if we don't want to be late."

"Hmm?" Ichigo said, having forgotten all about school "Oh yeah" He blushed lightly, realizing why he had forgotten about school. In fact, he had forgotten about everything else except for the teenager in front of him. Ichigo gave her a sideways glance as they started walking again, for the first time realizing just how pretty she was. Then he realised it. No, he thought, that's impossible. But it was not for in fact, Ichigo Kurosaki, had fallen in love with an angel. He had fallen in love with Rukia Kuchiki.

* * *

A/N- YAY finally some Ichi/ruki showing up. Soz for the long, long, long wait for this chapter. I hope you enjoyed it, if not well tough. I probably could have spent a lot more time editing this but I was really pissed at it and just wanted to upload it...... Oh and because of the long wait, I made it longer than usual and had Ichi/ruki in it. The pairing wasn't actually gonna come in for another couple of chapters but who cares!

On another note, hopefull the next chappy should be up within 2 weeks. The stories already planned out so unless the next chappy is gonna be as hard to write as this one, it should be up soon.

OOOOOH and don't remember, REVIEW!! PLZ!!!

........

PLZ!

Bye!

p.s- for all of you who were wondering, I did finish my 50,000 word novel in the 30 days! YAY! I was up to around 11pm writing it and managed to get exactly 50,008 words. Close, I know.


	6. A day at the beach

**A/N- YAY it's up! **

**Disclaimer: I do not own bleach, Tite Kubo does *sobs quietly***

**Chapter 6**

**A day at the beach**

**Dedicated to DramaQueen of the moon**

Rukia leant back, stretching out in the sun. It was a Saturday, a day of rest and relaxation for humans. The day before, Kiego had invited everyone to a day out at the beach, stating that it was the perfect way to relax after the test that they had just had on Friday. Of course, because Rukia had only been at the school for less than two weeks, she hadn't been tested but nevertheless, she had been invited along.

Rukia was lying on the white sand at the beach, relaxing as the sun warmed her back. She had never been to a beach, as far as she could remember. Of course, there were no beaches in the Soul Society and although the angel's women association had organized trips to the human world to go to the beach, Rukia had been forced to refuse the opportunity. Because she had not had any training in the human world, she had not been allowed to come here until she was selected for the month of training. But now that she was here, she realised that she might as well take this time to relax and enjoy the human world without having to worry about anything else. That being said, her mind was still a whirlwind of activity after what had happened a week ago but she knew that it was best to just forget about it and move on.

"Hey Rukia!"

Rukia sat up, glancing around for the owner of the voice. She noticed Orihime running up, her long hair flying behind her. When Orihime had reached her, she stopped, panting for breath. She was wearing a blue one-piece swimsuit that had flowery designs all over it. Her pale skin was glistening as she had just been for a swim and she held a small beach towel in her right hand. "Are you coming for a swim Rukia?" Orihime said, standing up straight.

Rukia froze up, not sure what to say. Due to the fact that there were no beaches or pools in the soul society, Rukia had never in fact been swimming. To tell the truth, the idea of swimming actually scared Rukia. It was thought of not being able to swim that had put her off it, making her cringe slightly whenever she was near the water. Looking at Orihime's now pouting face, Rukia realised that she needed to think fast "Oh... well.." She stammered, realizing that her plan of thinking fast wasn't working too well . "I don't feel too well so I thought I might wait a while." She gave Orihime a weak smile.

But instead of leaving as Rukia had thought she would do, Orihime grabbed Rukia's arm and hauled her to her feet. "Come on." She said, pouting. "What's the real reason you don't want to go for a swim? I can tell that you're lying you know."

Rukia stood there, shocked "Well.." She began "The truth is I .." She paused, looking away from Orihime's curious face "I've never actually been swimming." She ended softly.

"What?!" Orihime said loudly, shocked. Falling silent for a moment, Orihime wondered what to do and made up her mind quickly. Grabbing Rukia's arm once again, Orihime stalked off towards the water, almost dragging Rukia behind her "Well, come on!"

Rukia tried to pry off Orihime's hand but her grip was too strong. Giving up, she let herself be dragged along "Where are you taking me?" Rukia asked, looking at Orihime, curiosity and shock evident in her eyes.

Orihime glanced back at her "Where do you think? I'm gonna give you your first swimming lesson!"

This set off Rukia's feeling of danger once again and she frantically tried to run the opposite way to which Orihime was dragging her but it didn't work. Giving up for the second time, she looked up to the heavens and prayed that she did not drown.

"Let her go Orihime"

Rukia opened her eyes, having closed them a moment before, as she felt Orihime stop. The grip around her wrist loosed and so she snatched her hand back, cradling it protectively. Glancing up to see who it was that had saved her, Rukia gasped in surprise, her purple eyes going wide "Ichigo?" She questioned.

Sure enough, Ichigo was standing there, an embarrassed grin on his face "Hey there Rukia" Ichigo was wearing board shorts along with a white, t-shirt.

Orihime started blushing, realizing that she had never seen Ichigo at the beach before. "What are you doing here, Ichigo?" She said, asking the same question that Rukia had been about to ask "I thought that you couldn't come"

Ichigo ran a hand through his spiky orange hair and shrugged "Well, I kinda changed my plans. But I can't stay for very long"

Orihime pouted, putting her hands on her hips "Why?"

"Ah.. I kinda have some stuff that I need to do."

"So are you coming for a swim?" Orihime asked, her eyes glistening with joy as she wondered whether she would get to see Ichigo swimming or not.

But much to her dismay, Ichigo shook his head "Don't feel like going swimming" He stated plainly. "So where are the ot-"

"Ichigooooooooooo!" A voice shouted.

Ichigo froze, midsentence. Crap, he thought. Why is she here, why now? Beside him, Rukia turned around, expecting to see Kiego before she realised that it had been a female voice. Ichigo turned around as well, just as someone clamped their arms around him.

"I missed you Ichigo!" The person shouted at him, hugging him dearly.

Rukia looked on in shock. She had never seen this person before. She had long wavy green hair and startling grey eyes. Watching her, Rukia noticed that it seemed like Ichigo and her were pretty close and she blushed lightly before catching herself. Deciding that she should find out who the person was, and save Ichigo from being choked to death, Rukia tapped the girl's shoulder lightly. "Hi, I'm Rukia. Ichigo's friend" She said, introducing herself.

The person let go of Ichigo, who collapsed to the ground, taking in deep breaths. "Hi" She said, giving Rukia a wide smile "I'm Neliel Tu Oderschvank but you can just call me Nel."

Rukia frowned. What a weird name, she thought but on the outside she smiled back "So how do you know Ichigo?"

Nel smiled even wider, glancing at Ichigo who had managed to stand up "Oh, we've been friends for ages! Almost one hu-" She was cut short as Ichigo suddenly grabbed her arm.

"Nel what are you doing here?" He said, his face almost black with anger. "Scrap that how did you even find me?"

Nel pouted her grey eyes wide and innocent. "Why I came to see you Ichigo! I missed you! I mean it's been ages and ages since we last saw each other. As for how I found you" She flashed him a cheek grin "It wasn't that hard. After all these years you still suck at controlling your rei-" She was stopped once again by Ichigo but this time, he grabbed her mouth to stop her from speaking. Seeing his stern glance, she nodded slightly and he dropped his hand "I mean, it's easy for someone who knows you as well as I do to find you."

Ichigo sighed, calming down slightly. Rukia noted the almost defeated look on his face. Could this have been someone that he didn't want to find him? She wondered to herself. Running a hand through his orange hair, Ichigo glanced from Rukia to Nel and back "Look, sorry Rukia but do you mind if Nel and I spend a couple of minutes catching up about all the stuff that we missed since the last time that we saw each other?"

Rukia sighed, knowing that she should just give in "It's alright" She gave him a smile but inside, she was boiling with curiosity. Why doesn't he want this Nel to talk to me? Is he afraid that she'll give away something about him that he doesn't want anyone else to know? Rukia suddenly froze, wondering if Ichigo was gay, so to speak. No, it couldn't be that, she thought, knowing that Ichigo was full well into women. Out of ideas for the time being, Rukia vowed to get to the bottom of this. After all, I'm sure it's just something that would be embarrassing if others found out like a secret affair or something, not anything serious, Rukia thought to herself, not realizing just how wrong she was.

* * *

"Seriously Nel, it was dangerous for you to have come here. You should leave right now." Ichigo said, pulling Nel into a patch of bushes by the edge of the beach.

"I can handle anything and you know that Ichigo. After all you chose me"

Ichigo sighed "I didn't mean dangerous to you, I meant dangerous to me. That girl back there, Rukia, is actually an angel."

Nel's eyes widened "A guardian angel? And you're friends with her?"

"Well..." Ichigo shifted uncomfortably, a light blush appearing on his cheeks.

Nel immediately grew curious "Do you like her?" She asked incredulously.

"Ah.. no.." Ichigo stammered, the blush deepening.

"You do, don't you?" Nel grinned at him.

"Anyway that's not what I'm trying to tell you." He said, desperately trying to change the subject. "What I'm trying to say is that I can't let her find out who I am. You almost gave me away back there. I think she's already starting to suspect something so I'm trying to keep a low profile here! If she finds out then.." Ichigo ran a hand through his orange hair "I won't be able to have a normal life."

"But Ichigo, you know that you can never have a normal life. You can't spend your whole life as Ichigo Kurosaki. In a couple of years, you'll have to move on, changing your appearance and your name. You'll have to erase the memories of the humans, making sure that the angels wouldn't suspect something. But you know that you can't erase the memories of a guardian angel" Nel gritted her teeth "What happens when she comes back to visit earth in a couple of years and no one seems to know who you are? Don't you think she'll be suspicious? She'll probably figure it out and then, it'll be easier for the angels to find you."

"I know" Ichigo said, his amber eyes filled with worry. "I know. But I'm not planning on moving away from here anytime soon. The family that took me in, they're so nice to me. I just couldn't bear to leave them in the near future."

Nel's eyes filled with confusion "I don't get it. You used to hate humans and wanted nothing more than to get away from them. What changed?"

"I changed" Ichigo gave her a small, sad smile "After ten years of getting to know humans, I realised that they are quite different to how I originally though they were. I mean, I'm not that different from them."

Nel scoffed "Ichigo, I think that you're quite different from them."

He shifted uncomfortably "Anyway, I have friends now and I don't want to give that up just yet."

"They might be your friends now but what would happen if you told them the truth? They would hate you, calling you a monster. Even that angel would despise you as you are the very thing that she hates. Just come back Ichigo. It's time for you to accept who you are."

Ichigo stepped back, eyes wide, a frightened look appearing on his face "But.." He stammered "I don't want to."

Nel grabbed his arm forcefully "You have to whether you like it or not, Ichigo. Your father" She bit her lip suddenly "The angels captured him around a week ago. He was executed by them. Now we need someone to lead us and you're the only one that can."

Amber eyes met grey as Ichigo told her "No. Not yet." Then, to his surprise, Nel actually let go of his arm.

She sighed, shrugging her shoulders "Well, don't say that I didn't try." She rolled her eyes "Grimmjow's soooo gonna kill me."

Ichigo brightened suddenly "Grimmjow?" He asked, the corners of his mouth twitching into a smile "Did he put you up to this?"

Nel shook her head, her green hair tumbling past her shoulders "No but he's always complaining about you. He says that you should just come back already so that he can spar with someone. Personally, I think he just misses you and doesn't want to admit it."

"Do you miss me?"

Nel looked taken aback by the question "Of course I do. Even though you're my lord, you're like a best friend to me. Everyone misses you, especially..." She paused, her eyes dropping "Ulquiorra hasn't been the same ever since you left."

"What happened?" Ichigo asked, concern evident in his voice.

"He.." Nel bit her lip "You know how he was you're most loyal servant and friend? Apart from me of course.." She flashed him a quick grin before the sadness was back "When you left, he was the most affected out of everyone. He retreated into himself, becoming an empty shell of what he used to be. He spends his time sitting in his room alone, just staring at the wall. If you ask him a question, he'll respond in a monotone, never showing the slightest bit of emotion. He's so different from before...."

Ichigo looked shocked, a great sadness coming over him "I never expected it to affect him so deeply."

"Well, you didn't seem to think about the effects that it would have on us when you left" Neliel snapped at him angrily "I mean, you left without saying goodbye. We had no idea where you had gone. Everyone thinks that you left because you hated us. Because we're different." Nel dropped her head, all of her anger gone.

"I could never hate you guys. You guys were my closest friends."

"Were" Nel snorted "If we're that close then why won't you come back? Why do you stay here for these stupid humans? We need you Ichigo. Hueco Mundo is falling apart without you."

Ichigo sighed and sat down on the ground, his hands on his knees "Look I'm not coming back for a while so can we not talk about it?"

"Fine" Nel sat down next to him "What do you want to talk about?"

Ichigo was silent for a moment, deep in thought. Then something occurred to him and a puzzled expression flickered across his face "How did you find me Nel? I thought that my little trick to hide my reiatsu had made me untraceable."

"Yea, I lied. I couldn't find your reiatsu no matter how hard I looked. So I sent out a little friend of mine to find you"

Ichigo looked at her, realization filling him "Kon!" He groaned

Nel grinned "You guessed right"

Ichigo rolled his eyes and got to his feet, brushing off some of the dirt that had become stuck on him "Look, Nel, you really should go now. It's too risky for you to stay here with Rukia here."

Nel protested "But-"

"I know. I should come back but I can't, not right now anyway." Seeing the pleading look on Nel's face, Ichigo frowned "Will you stop complaining if I come back for a couple of days?"

Nel's eyes lit up "Oh yes!"

"Fine. But when I leave again, you have to promise me that you won't come after me. I'll come back when I am ready."

"Okay, Ichigo. Just one more thing. How is Shiro?" Neliel asked, tilting her head to one side, a look of concern in his eyes.

Ichigo flinched, unable to stop himself "He's still pissed at me for locking him inside of my mind. But I can't just let him out, especially while Rukia's around. You know him, he loves to cause trouble and normally I wouldn't mind that but he can't, not here in the human world."

"I understand." She looked up, her eyes meeting Ichigo's and they suddenly flashed yellow and black before reverting back to grey. "See you soon Ichigo!" Her body suddenly blurred and then it disappeared, a small gust of wind buffeting Ichigo.

Ichigo sighed and ran his hand through his spiky hair "She's still the same as ever" He chuckled lightly and turned to leave just as a blurred shape hit him, knocking him to the ground "What the hell?!" He said loudly and looked up to see Kiego standing there, pouting.

"Ichigoooo!" He wailed loudly "How come you get all the good looking girls!?"

Ichigo jumped to his feet gracefully and grabbed Kiego by the collar of the shirt that he was wearing. "What did you hear?" He said angrily. "How long were you there?"

But Kiego wasn't paying any attention to what Ichigo was saying. Instead he pointed at Ichigo and then at the ground and back again 'How did you do that?" He asked, bewildered.

Ichigo froze, realizing that he had unconsciously done something inhuman. Glancing around wildly, Ichigo dropped Kiego, who immediately tried to sneak off, resulting in Ichigo grabbing his arm "Look, Kiego, it's important. Did you hear anything?"

Kiego whimpered as Ichigo was hurting him "I didn't hear anything"

Ichigo sighed "I know that you're lying Kiego."

Kiego jumped about a foot in the air. "I didn't mean to hear anything, honest" Kiego said, giving Ichigo an idiotic grin but then, realizing that Ichigo wasn't buying it, his happy attitude dissolved. His shoulders slumped and Ichigo let go of his arm. Kiego looked up, his face serious and his eyes filled with something akin to fear "Ichigo, who are you really?"

Doing his best to smile, Ichigo said "I'm Ichigo Kurosaki"

Kiego shook his head "I thought that you were my friend Ichigo. Was that a lie? Even if it was, please at least have the decency to tell me the truth!"

Ichigo paused, wondering what he should do "You wouldn't believe me if I told you"

Frowning, Kiego's said "Try me"

"The thing is.." Ichigo said, his shoulders drooping slightly. He looked down at the ground, shuffling his feet as he continued "If I tell you the truth and.. you do believe me, I won't be able to be friends with you anymore."

"Ichigo, I'll always be your friend."

Ichigo gave a hollow laugh "After you know the truth, you won't want to be my friend." He stated simply, knowing that it was true.

Seeing Kiego's determined look, Ichigo gave in. Sighing he said, "Meet me here tomorrow at midday if you really want to know the truth and," Ichigo growled slightly, his eyes flickering between amber to black and yellow. 'Don't tell the others anything." With that, Ichigo turned around and stalked out of the bushes.

Kiego flinched slightly. He was afraid of the truth but he didn't want to be the victim of a lie anymore. "Who are you Ichigo?"

* * *

Ichigo sighed and flopped down onto his bed. He was exhausted after the day at the beach even though he hadn't gone swimming. Inspecting his arm, Ichigo could see the beginning of sunburn starting and he frowned.

Rukia was sitting down on the bed next to him, her eyes sparkling with joy. "That was so much fun!" She said, wringing the water out of her black hair. After Orihime had found that Rukia had never been swimming before, she had made it her personal goal to get Rukia in the water. No matter where Rukia had tried to hide, Orihime had always found her and in the end, Rukia gave up. Pushing her in the water, Orihime had shouted out instructions on how to swim and Rukia had found that she did indeed know how to swim. It was part of her instinct. Surprised, Orihime had demanded to know why she had suddenly become so good if it was her first time in the water but Rukia had dodged the question. She hadn't even noticed Ichigo watching her closely as she explored the water, relishing in the moment.

Grabbing a dry towel off the end of Ichigo's bed, Rukia wrapped it around herself, a faint smile still playing on her face. She sat back down again, glancing over towards Ichigo. "You alright?" She asked, noticing that he seemed concerned about something.

Ichigo sighed, gazing up at the ceiling out of his amber eyes "Yea, I'm fine. Just thinking about something."

Rukia was silent for a moment, wondering whether she should pry further but she needn't have worried. Ichigo suddenly spoke "I almost forgot. Tomorrow is June 16th."

Rukia watched his sad eyes for a moment "What's special about tomorrow?" She asked finally.

Ichigo sighed and his amber eyes flickered over towards Rukia "It's the day that my mother died."

Rukia couldn't stop herself from gasping. She had never seen Ichigo's mother so she had assumed that she always worked late or something. She never would have guessed that she had died. "I'm so sorry" Rukia said softly, making a vow to look for Ichigo's mother when she got back to the soul society.

Ichigo shrugged and sat up, his orange hair falling over his eyes "I wasn't that close to her. I mean, it's not like she's my biological mother or anything." Ichigo paused suddenly, noting the surprised expression on Rukia's face "I didn't tell you did I?" He asked. When she shook her head, he continued to talk "I'm adopted. This family, they took me in ten years ago. My father, Isshin, found me wandering the streets, half starved to death and he took pity on me, bringing me back to live here."

"Do you know who you're real parents are?"

A look of annoyance flashed across his face before turning into sadness. It was so quick that it made Rukia doubt that she had even seen it. "No I don't know." Ichigo said softly "I don't remember much from the time before I was adopted."

Rukia gazed down at the floor, not sure what to say when something occurred to her "Was... Nel.. did you know her back then?"

Ichigo looked at her, surprised that she had figured it out. "Yea. I knew her back when I was living on the street. I haven't seen her since I was adopted but she managed to find me." He smiled sadly although Rukia couldn't figure out why he would be sad.

"Ichigo.." Rukia began, drawing her legs up onto the bed. "I'm so sorry about your Mother."

Ichigo looked away, his orange hair hiding his eyes from view "Yea..." He said. Rukia reached across and grabbed his hand, squeezing it gently. Startled at the sudden contact, Ichigo jerked his hand back before turning around to face Rukia. He sat up, amber eyes meeting purple. "Rukia" He said softly, his eyes widening a fraction, showing his surprise.

Rukia blushed lightly and looked away. "Sorry Ichigo. That was.."She paused "I shouldn't have done it."

But Ichigo moved closer to her "Rukia" He grabbed her hand and she turned to look at him "Close your eyes." He tilted his head to the side, a smile gracing his face.

Rukia's heart began beating faster and she closed her eyes. Suddenly she felt a soft touch on her lips and her eyes flew open. Ichigo was kissing her.

* * *

A/N- OOOH fanservice pples! They kissed :O. That's my apologies for taking a long time in between characters, pushing the kiss up one chappy! ;)

Well I hoped you liked that chap! It turned otu soo different to what it was meant to be although I was glad I got to show Rukia's interactions with Ichigo's frinds more. AND big reveal about Ichigo's secret life this chappy! Poor Ulquiorra! The reason for his emoness is finally revealed!I hoped you like the fact that Neliel is included in this story! I couldn't resist writing her in :)

Also, next chappy! Will Kiego find out the truth or not? What will happen after Ihcigo and Rukia kiss? And poor poor Rukia gets the biggest shock of her life. After all the saying goes "Curiosity killed the cat..."

:) Please review if you liked it!

p.S YAY I have some fanart for this story, drawn by the totally awesome DramaQueen of the Moon! She has drawn both Ichigo and Rukia as chibi's! They're so cute! Take a look http:// magicknightnova. / art/ Guardian-Angel-Chibis-149991310 (take out the spaces)


	7. The Truth

**A/N-....... this chapter really suprised me.... **

**Disclaimer: I do not own bleach,Tite Kubo does **

**Chapter 7**

**The truth**

Keigo stood on the beach, the sun making shadows on his face. He was staring out at the sea with an expression of anxiety. Ever since he had talked to Ichigo, he had been worried about this moment. It had haunted him, the way that Ichigo had said 'You won't want to be friends with me anymore' but he still felt that he needed to know the truth.

Biting his lip, Keigo's eyes filled with worry as his mind once again returned to what he had overheard. Piecing together what he had found out, Keigo knew that Neliel and Ichigo knew each other. He also knew that Ichigo was much older than what he seemed, same with Neliel. Ichigo had also said something about Rukia being an angel but that was just too silly for Keigo to believe. He thought that Ichigo had said that because he had hidden feelings for her.

Contemplating this thought, Keigo stood there, gazing out into the distance. He had always maintained the stupid attitude around all of his friends and only something serious made him drop it. Now, he was completely serious and he had changed from the stupid Keigo everyone always went on about.

Suddenly, there was a sound from behind him and Keigo turned around, heart thumping loudly. But no one was there, the trees beside the beach empty. Breathing a soft sigh of relief, Keigo allowed himself a small smile. "Calm down" He told himself "You can't let this get to you." He breathed in and out, slowly, for a couple of seconds.

Holding up his wrist, Keigo checked his watch and noted that it was past midday. Frowning, Keigo looked around, wondering where Ichigo was "Maybe he's not coming" Keigo wondered but then he fell silent as he heard a sudden sound. It started off softly but then as it grew louder, Keigo found that he recognized it. It was the sound of a bird flying, in other words, the sound of two wings beating through the air.

Keigo froze in fear as there was a thump behind him and he jumped about a meter in the air as someone spoke close to his ear _**"Sorry about that"**_ The voice said softly, the hint of laughter in it. _**"Couldn't get away from Rukia"**_

Keigo still didn't turn around, too scared to move. He didn't recognize the voice and he wondered if someone was mugging him but then he remembered that whoever it was, had mentioned Rukia's name. Gulping Keigo gathered up the courage to ask "Ichigo...?" He said softly, not sure as to whether he wanted to know the answer.

The voice began to laugh and Keigo shivered unconsciously. The voice didn't sound human. In fact, it sounded like two people talking at once but he could only just perceive the other voice. _**"Who do you think I am, Keigo Asano?"**_ The voice said, sounding amused.

Keigo breathed in and out, trying to look like he wasn't scared but it didn't work. "I don't know.." Keigo said, hoping that his voice didn't waver as much as he thought it did.

The voice laughed again but this time it was a hollow laugh, devoid of emotion. _**"Turn around Keigo."**_ The voice said, sounding bitter.

Keigo did just that. As soon as he saw what was behind him, he leapt back, tripping over a rock and screamed. Standing there was the most hideous thing that he had ever seen. It looked mostly human, with a well-muscled upper body but the face was what had shocked Keigo. It looked like a skull with red markings running down it. The teeth were pointed and sharp, two horns protruding on either side of the skull. Two eyes as black as the night stared at Keigo, the iris's a bright yellow. If Keigo had stopped screaming for long enough, he would have noticed that the eyes seemed to be filled with hurt but he didn't. He just kept screaming.

The figure reached out with a tanned arm, the clawed fingers spreading outwards _**"Keigo..."**_ The creature said.

Keigo stopped screaming abruptly and scrambled further away but soon he backed into a rocky cliff. Looking at the creature in fear, Keigo noted the two large black wings that spread out from its back. Gulping, Keigo bit his lip to stop himself from screaming. He was almost certain that this could not be happening as he knew that creatures like the one standing in front of him did not exist. But no matter how hard Keigo tried to make himself believe that it wasn't there, the creature remained in front of him.

As he quickly tried to figure out something, a thought suddenly occurred to him. This creature had spoken to him, obviously meaning that it was intelligent. Wondering whether he should say something, Keigo tried to look brave "Umm... hello?" Keigo mentally kicked himself for being so stupid. This creature without a doubt could kill him in a second and he had just said hello to it.

The creature tilted its head and suddenly began to move slowly forward, walking on two clawed feet. It wore a black hakama around its legs, a white sash tying it to its body. Keigo tried to move back once again but he couldn't because of the cliff. His instincts were yelling at him to run as far away as he could but he realised now that the time for running was far over. He would just have to hope that this creature did not want to kill him. Wetting his lips, Keigo spoke again. "What do you want from me?"

The creature paused as he said this, suddenly looking unsure of itself. But then, it continued moving forward until it was a meter away from Keigo. It leant down, its eyes peering into the very depths of Keigo soul. Keigo found that he could not look away and vaguely wondered if this was some sort of hypnotism but then the creature blinked and turned its head. It shuffled to one side and with only a slight sound, sat down next to Keigo.

Keigo watched the creature with increasing dread. He knew that he should have tried to escape as the creature had moved forward but for some reason he hadn't. One feather from the black wings suddenly brushed across Keigo's arm and he flinched away from the soft touch. "Look" Keigo began "I don't know what you want or even who yo-"

"_**I am sometimes known as Tsuki Kuro."**_ The creature suddenly spoke in its double voice, turning its head so that it was looking directly at Keigo.

Keigo shivered slightly and steeled himself for whatever was to come. But the creature didn't say anything else. "Um... what are you?" Keigo asked, fiddling with a rock that he had come across. He felt stupid, talking to the creature like this but he knew that this might be his only chance at getting out of there alive.

Tsuki Kuro shifted slightly, bringing its wings in close to its body as if to shield itself from the shining sun. _**"I am not human."**_ It said simply, sounding neither happy nor sad about it.

Keigo suddenly felt the urge to laugh but restrained himself. "Why are you here?" He asked again, wondering whether Tsuki Kuro would give him a straight answer.

Blinking, Tsuki Kuro tilted its head and Keigo could have sworn that he saw the edges of its eyes lift up with the hint of a smile. _**"Because I told you I would be here."**_

Keigo looked confused. He hadn't even met this creature before yet it was telling him that they had already met "No you didn't"

Tsuki Kuro sighed, a strange sound to be coming from a creature like it _**"You still don't know who I am, do you?"**_

"Aren't you Tsuki Kuro...?" Keigo asked, still not getting it. When Tsuki Kuro didn't say anything else, Keigo gazed out towards the sea, his mind going over everything that had just happened. But still, he did not get it.

Looking away, Tsuki Kuro sighed yet again _**"You wanted to know who I was, Keigo**_." Tsuki Kuro said sadly, lifting its clawed fingers up to its head. The fingers wrapped underneath the skull and Keigo suddenly realised that it was a mask. Bracing himself for whatever Tsuki Kuro looked like underneath, Keigo bit his lip, closing his eyes. After a moment, he gathered up the courage and his eyes opened to see bright orange hair.

Keigo shouted with surprised and jumped up, hitting his head on a rock that was just above him. He fell to the ground, his vision beginning to fade as he lost consciousness. The last thing he saw was a concerned face looking down at him. One that he knew all too well.

* * *

Rukia smiled to herself as she made the finishing touches to her masterpiece. "There" She said, holding it up for the world to see. She was sitting on Ichigo's bed, sunlight filtering through the open window. It was midday on Sunday and after waiting for Ichigo to come back from wherever he had disappeared form, Rukia had taken it upon herself to brighten up his room. She had started off with drawing a picture of Ichigo.

Carefully placing the crayons on the bed, Rukia smiled down at her drawing. To anyone apart from Rukia, it would have looked like a cartoon bunny with spiky orange hair. But to her, it looked like Ichigo. Still smiling, Rukia put it on the bed beside her.

Ichigo's dad and both his sisters were out somewhere and although Rukia was not sure, she assumed that it was something to do with the anniversary of Masaki Kurosaki's death, Ichigo's mother. Ichigo had left at the same time as them but Rukia had seen him walk in the other direction, telling his dad that he would meet them after he did something. So Rukia was left in the Kurosaki household, not sure what she was meant to be doing.

Turning her head Rukia gazed out of the window, her eyes filled with joy. Ever since yesterday, she had been so happy. Rukia had found herself in love and even better, Ichigo returned that love for her. After they had kissed, Ichigo had begun to tell her that he loved her, much to Rukia's surprise. Then, Rukia had realised that the fluttery feeling that she had had ever since she had met Ichigo was not because she was sick but because she was in love with him. It had seemed absurd at the time, that an angel could fall in love so easily with a human but it was not unheard of.

Rukia had been so preoccupied with everything as of late that she hadn't even considered the possibility. After all, it wasn't the most important thing to her at the moment. The most important thing to her was her completing her month in the human world so that she could become a high guardian. Then something occurred to her. After she became a high guardian, she would have to leave earth. She would most likely be assigned to a different place, so as not to cause any trouble and she wouldn't be allowed to see Ichigo anymore.

Sadness filled Rukia as she realised what that meant. After her month was up, Ichigo would eventually forget about her and she would have to deal with the pain of leaving him. Even if she ever wanted to visit him again, it was not allowed.

Wondering what she should do, Rukia let her wings appear, sighing with the relief of stopping the spell that had kept them invisible for so long. So long as she knew that she would have to leave, her time with Ichigo would not be enjoyable for her as she would be always haunted by what was going to come. It was just another secret to keep from Ichigo and Rukia didn't think that she would be able to do it.

She sat there glumly, thinking that the best option for her was to erase his memory. She wouldn't erase his memory of her, but the fact that he was in love with her and so then, leaving him would be easier. But even the thought of doing that made her upset.

Tears filled her eyes and she suddenly shouted "What do I do?" She was a small, confused little angel. Then it came to her. "I'll tell him" She said, her eyes narrowing with determination. "I'll tell him about what I really am." It seemed the only logical way to her. If she told him, then she would not have to keep secrets from him.

"But...' Something suddenly occurred to her and she deflated "What if he hates me?"

There was a crash from behind her and a thump as someone landed on the bed next to her. Rukia spun around, eyes wide. "Who hates you?" Renji sat there, rubbing his head and looking at Rukia with a confused expression.

A big smile lit up Rukia's face. "Renji!" She exclaimed happily and she suddenly gave him a big hug.

Unsure as to what he should do, Renji waited for her to let him go. When she finally did, Renji grinned down at her "How are you Rukia?"

Rukia couldn't get the smile off her face. She was so happy to see someone that she knew "I'm great Renji."

Renji nodded "Good. I was worried about you especially since Urahara told us what had happened with the Devil's son."

Rukia's smile disappeared and she sank back down into the bed "Oh.. I'd forgotten about that."

Realising that he'd made her upset, Renji sat down beside her, wondering what he could do to make her happy again. But before he could figure something out, Rukia spoke again "I didn't tell Urahara, Renji, but the devil's son contacted me the day before I killed him."

Renji's eyes widened in surprise "What?"

Rukia nodded "I had sensed a strange reiatsu and so I decided to investigate. It belonged to this creature that called itself Tsuki Kuro. Tsuki Kuro was nice to me, even though he knew I was an angel. We talked together for a while but he wouldn't answer any questions about what he was. I just assumed that he was some sort of demon that had turned good or something so I was stupid enough to go back. It was during my second evening with him that Urahara told me who he was. When I found out, he grabbed me and I tried to escape. When he didn't let me, I attacked him. He refused to fight back until I goaded him into fighting me. That was when I killed him."

Renji watched her silently, seeing just how hurt Rukia was "Look Rukia. He was being nice to you just because he wanted to use you. You were right to kill him"

Rukia shook her head "You don't understand. Even when I found out the truth about him, he still wanted to be my friend more than anything. He said that he hadn't told me the truth because he didn't want to ruin our friendship and it sounded like he was telling me the truth. What if I was wrong Renji? What if he wasn't our enemy?"

Closing his eyes with a soft sigh, Renji told Rukia "It was a lie. Rukia, the devil's son is a killer. He has murdered thousands of innocent humans without a good reason. Anyone who does that deserves to be killed, even," Renji paused "if it seems like they were being nice to one person." He shook his head "Look Rukia, he was just messing with you. He only wanted to be your friend to get to the rest of us angels. That is the only reason."

Rukia nodded sadly and Renji smiled at her "Now, who's gonna hate you?"

She looked confused for a moment and then realised what Renji was referring to "Oh. The guy I'm staying with, Ichigo Kurosaki. I want to tell him the truth."

Renji jumped to his feet, eyes wide "Rukia!" He shouted "You can't do that! You know that you can't tell a human about us."

"I know" Rukia said, sounding slightly angry "But I still want to tell him. It's too hard for me to keep lying to him."

Renji fell silent and studied her for a moment. Suddenly a grin spread across his face, his eyes narrowing "You like him don't you?"

Rukia blushed furiously and looked away; crossing her arms "I don't know what you're talking about."

Renji's grin widened "You do, don't you?"

"Yes." Rukia gave in. She knew that it was impossible to hide this from Renji as he would have figured it out anyway. He knew her too well. "We..." She coughed, slightly embarrassed "...kissed yesterday."

He watched her intently for a few seconds before beginning to laugh. "Byakuya's gonna kill the poor bastard!" Renji said when his laughing had finally subsided.

"Oh...." Rukia said softly "But I don't know what to do. I really like him but I know that in a few weeks, I won't be able to see him ever again. I want to tell him the truth so that I don't have to lie to him anymore. What do you think I'll do?"

Now Renji was the one that looked uncomfortable "I don't know Rukia. This is something you have to decide on your own." He turned his head to gaze out the window. "Anyway, I have to leave, I thought I'd just come and see you because I'm on the way to start a mission."

"What's the mission?"

Renji scratched his red hair thoughtfully "I have no idea" He said with a laugh "Well, I'd better go." He turned to the window and began to climb through it before pausing. He turned back to Rukia, his eyes twinkling "It was good to talk to you, Rukia." He said softly and then he was gone.

* * *

Keigo groaned. His head was pounding, the pain stopping him from thinking clearly. Groggily he tried to remember what had happened and everything came back slowly. Firstly, he remembered Tsuki Kuro, the strange creature that had appeared on the beach. Then he remembered the mask and finally.. Keigo shot up, his eyes flinging open. "No..." He whispered, seeing that he was actually on the beach and it had not been some strange dream "It can't be..." He turned his head slowly to see a figure leaning on the rock beside him.

There was no doubting it. It was Ichigo Kurosaki. But he was different. He had two black wings sprouting from his back and strange writing wound its way around his arms. He had clawed hands and feet and wore a black hakama. But what was most noticeable was the hole that went straight through his chest, allowing Keigo to see the rock that he was leaning against.

Keigo sat there, heart pounding and eyes wide. He subconsciously noted with a slight relief that Ichigo seemed to be asleep. "Ichigo.." Keigo whispered softly, hoping that he wouldn't wake him. He needed this time to think, alone. After all, you didn't find out every day that your best friend was some horrific creature. "I can't believe it" Keigo squeezed his eyes shut, hoping that when he opened them, he would be in his house and Ichigo would still be a normal, human boy. But he was still at the beach when he sneaked a look. "He said that I wouldn't want to be friends with him when I found out the truth, and now I realise what he meant by that." Keigo groaned and rocked backwards and forwards, head in his hands. "It all suddenly makes sense. Neliel must be like Ichigo. That's how they know each other. And Ichigo is needed back at wherever he really lives because all of his people are missing him. Also, he mentioned something about Rukia being an angel.. I wonder if that's true as well." Keigo looked back towards Ichigo, briefly wondering whether he should leave or not. But before he could make a decision, Ichigo's eyes opened.

Keigo gulped in fear as he saw that they were black and yellow, inhuman eyes. Ichigo looked at his terrified expression and he sighed with great sadness "I told you"He said bitterly "But you didn't want to listen to me did you." Looking down, he fingered the mask that he held in his hands. It was the same mask that he had been wearing before.

When Ichigo didn't say anything else and continued to look at the mask with a sad expression, Keigo cleared his throat. "Is it really you Ichigo?" He asked, his voice a little squeaky from the shock.

Ichigo's eyes flickered towards him, a terrible depth to them. "Yes." He said finally "This is who I really am."He laughed, a sound that echoed against the cliff face. "This is what I've had to hide from any friend I make. I have to tell lie after lie but for what?" He spat on the ground, his voice filled with bitterness "I end up leaving them and erasing their memories without them even knowing why."

Keigo was silent, unsure of what to say. He wasn't even sure that Ichigo was talking to him specifically or if he was just saying this because he needed to say it out loud. When the silence stretched out Keigo decided to speak "Ichigo... if that's even your real name.... just what are you?" He said it more sharply than he meant it but he couldn't take it back now.

Ichigo flinched as if stung by his words "Do you really want to know?" He said, almost pleading with Keigo "You'll hate me even more."

Keigo hesitated "Fine. Don't tell me right now but promise that you'll tell me the truth and if I ask again, that you'll tell me without trying to convince me otherwise."

Ichigo looked shocked but he nodded. Keigo nodded back "Good" He was surprised by just how calm he sounded. Inside, he was still coming to terms with everything but on the outside, it seemed like he had already accepted everything. "Now, Ichigo, are you actually friends with all of us? Or is that just a lie too?" Keigo asked the one question that he really wanted answered. Even if Ichigo said that it was a lie, he needed to know.

Ichigo looked appraisingly at him, obviously impressed by his reaction to everything. "I am you friend, Keigo. That was never a lie." He said sincerely.

Keigo noted that he could still hear a hint of the double voice, making Ichigo's voice sound different to usual. It was hard for him to be looking at this creature that was one of his best friends. It was all he could do to stop himself from running around screaming until he knocked himself out again. But he didn't. Wanting to know more, Keigo spoke again "Who is Rukia?"

Ichigo suddenly looked sad and his eyes fixated on a point on the ground. He shifted his black wings as if uncomfortable with the question and Keigo jumped slightly. Not noticing this, Ichigo said softly "Rukia's an angel. She's a guardian angel on earth so that she can become a high guardian."

Keigo's eyes widened but he felt that he shouldn't be surprised after all that he had seen in the space of ten minutes. "So angels are real..." He said, more of a question than a statement. "Is Neliel an angel.. Is that how you know her?"

Ichigo laughed and this time, it was a genuine laugh. When he was finished, he wiped the tears out of his eyes and grinned at Keigo "She wishes. No, Neliel is a demon."

Put off by this, Keigo shifted slightly. The way that Ichigo had laughed had made him seem like they were having a normal conversation and that Ichigo was human. It lessened Keigo's ever growing fear again but Ichigo's statement about Neliel had sent it sky-rocketing once again. "She's a demon?" Keigo asked weakly.

Ichigo nodded. "Yes." He saw Keigo's confused and fearful expression and he sighed. Stretching out his arms, Ichigo began to explain everything "There are different types of angels, the most common is a guardian angel. When one wishes to become a high guardian, the second highest rank, one must complete one month of training in the human world as a high guardian is frequently sent to this world. Rukia is an angel but a young one at that. She crash landed to earth when she traveled here for some reason I have yet to figure out and I was the first one to find her. I offered my house as a place to stay and she accepted. She then enrolled herself in Karakura high so that she could better understand humans. She doesn't know about my true identity yet although I have revealed this form to her on a few occasions."

Ichigo's eyes narrowed suddenly "The last time, she almost killed me." He shook his head suddenly "Anyway, demons are essentially the opposite of angels. They aim to kill and deceive people. But not all demons are like that. There are a small number of them that are almost exactly the same as humans except for their powers of course. Neliel is one of those demons."

Keigo nodded, trying to file all of this information into his head so that he could remember it later. Ichigo had answered almost all he had wanted to know except one thing. After Ichigo's explanation of everything, Keigo felt more at ease around him but there was just one more thing that needed unveiling "What are you Ichigo?" Keigo asked, his eyes meeting Ichigo's inhuman ones. Keigo was prepared for an answer that he was expecting. Something like 'an angel' or 'a demon' would have left him feeling quite relieved, because he was sure that if Ichigo was a demon, he would be one like Neliel. But what he wasn't expecting was Ichigo's actual answer.

Ichigo looked at him and tilted his head to the side, black and yellow eyes peering intensely at the human before him. He had been afraid of this whole ordeal, wondering just how Keigo would react. When Keigo had first seen him, Ichigo had been saddened by the fact that he had been terrified of him. But when Keigo found out who it was behind the skull mask, it seemed like he had been relieved somewhat. A further explanation of everything had made Keigo even calmer and Ichigo for once felt like he had found someone who accepted him for what he was. But there was one test left and this, Ichigo knew, would be something that could make even the most accepting of people, hate him.

Breathing in deeply, Ichigo prepared himself and said slowly and clearly "I am the devil."

* * *

A/N- So.. many of u r probably wondering whythis chapter surpised me. Well, the scene with Keigo was meant to be only a small part of the chapter and it ended up being 3,000 words long.... also, I wasn't planning on having Renji turn up at least until 2 more chapters but it didn't feel right not to include him in this.

Now, back to this chappy. Finally everything is revealed about Ichigo but not to Rukia... :( How will Keigo react? Also, Rukia is planning on telling Ichigo about who she really is... this can't end well.... oh and RENJI IS BACK XD lol

I'm starting to write the next chappy as soon as this is posted. Hopefull the next chappy will be up by the end of the week. The whole story had almost reached it's climax and so I am rushing to get it finished so that I can post it for all you faithful readers.

Anyway, please review. I love to hear back from readers as it keeps me motivated to write more. It also makes me feel warm and fuzzy XD

On another note, a special thanks to MagicKnightNova/ DramaQueen of the Moon once again for drawing more fanart for this story! (check out her Deviantart page! (under MagicKnightNova)


	8. Black and White

**A/N- I'm SOOO sorry for not updating in so long. I know that I promised an update within like a week... sorry.. well here's a longer chapter than usual to (hopefully) make up for it.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach, Tite Kubo does... :(...**

**Guardian Angel**

**Chapter 8**

**Black and White**

It was late, the afternoon sky growing ever darker. Outside in the street, a group of people walked past, their light laughter echoing in the near silence. As they continued to walk, they passed by a small, family-run clinic. One of the boys looked up, pausing as he felt a pair of eyes trained on him. But after a quick scan, he shook his head, thinking that he was imagining it. But unknown to them, a small black-haired girl was watching.

Rukia gazed out the window, her eyes yearning to see some sign. She had been waiting for hours on end, her hopes rising every time she saw a distant figure. But it was always someone she did not know. Now, she was watching a group of people walk past, none of them realising that she was watching them. They reminded her, with some sadness, of the friends that she had made during her relatively short stay in the human world. Remembering that she would have to leave them before long, Rukia looked away not wanting to think about it. Her mind turned to him again and she gave a sigh. "Where are you Ichigo?" She said softly.

He had been gone all day and she was starting to get worried. The rest of his family had come back well over an hour ago but he was nowhere to be found. She knew that Ichigo would normally have let someone know where he was going, especially if he was going to be gone for this long. But Rukia could tell that no one knew. Quite a few times since Ichigo's family had come back, Rukia had heard his father yelling in an agitated voice. He didn't know where Ichigo was either.

Switching her attention back to the window, Rukia bit her lip unconsciously. Something was not right. She could feel it.

Heaving out a long sigh, Rukia drew her legs in, gathering up the blankets around her. She was sitting on Ichigo's bed, her long-forgotten picture resting crumpled up next to her. Shifting slightly, the angel stretched out her wings, their long white feathers reaching the ceiling. She had long since cast a spell that would hide her from any humans, just in case Ichigo's family happened to walk in. Because of this, she could be out in the open instead of hiding in the closet.

Breathing in and out slowly, Rukia tried to make the queasiness in her stomach go away but nothing happened. As much as she wanted to find Ichigo, she felt that she needed to respect his privacy. He hadn't wanted anyone to know where he was going today and Rukia felt that she shouldn't pry. But it didn't stop her from being worried sick about him.

"But... if I just check that he's okay.." Rukia said thoughtfully before nodding to herself. She stepped lightly off the bed, trying to make no noise. Standing in the centre of the room, she made sure that she was facing the window and took a deep breath. Closing her purple eyes, she held her arms out in front of her. Wings enfolding her, she imagined Ichigo's scowling face and said his name softly "Ichigo Kurosaki." Silence fell and suddenly, a thousand whispers filled the room, each of them saying Ichigo's name. A light filled the room as her wings responded to the spell, each feather shedding its own pale light.

Closing her eyes, she felt the spell searching for him and she followed it eagerly. But in a few moments, the whispers faded away and the light dissipated. Rukia opened her eyes, confused. This spell worked no matter where a person was, even if they were dead. So it didn't make sense when the spell had told her one thing. It had told her that Ichigo Kurosaki did simply not exist.

Rukia frowned and folded her wings in "But Ichigo exists..." She said, completely confused. Of course, there was another thing that could cause it to not work. Rukia's eyes widened "His name isn't Ichigo..." She whispered softly.

"But that can't be right." Rukia began to pace backwards and forwards, quite agitated "Ichigo wouldn't lie." But the spell didn't lie either. Rukia was left even more confused.

There was no reason that Ichigo would lie to her but then Rukia remembered something. Ichigo had been adopted. The spell hadn't worked because Ichigo's real last name wasn't Kurosaki, instead it was something that even he did not know.

But as far as Rukia could remember, no one had told her that the spell wouldn't work for cases like this anyway. Making a mental note to ask Urahara about it, Rukia closed her eyes again. She felt the flow of power build up and she spread her wings so that they filled up the whole room. If she couldn't use Ichigo's full name, she could just use his first name. Hopefully, it would work in the same way as Rukia was pretty sure that it would.

She breathed in slowly and as she exhaled, she whispered "Ichigo.." The image of his face firmly planted in her mind.

The whispers filled the room again and this time, they did not disappear. They had found something and although it wasn't Ichigo, Rukia knew that whatever it was might help her find him. Her eyes opened suddenly. The object that the whispers had told her to find was in this room.

Silence fell over the room again but Rukia could still sense the presence of the object, drawn to it like a moth to a flame. It held a strong link to Ichigo, so much so that whatever it was, seemed to almost be a part of him. But Rukia knew that that was impossible.

The angel looked around, trying to find the object that the source had latched onto. Following her instincts, she moved over towards the window but did not see anything. Thinking that she was imagining things, she turned away but paused. Something had caught her eye. Leaning over the edge of the window, Rukia picked up a small object, her eyes narrowing. "It was coming from this?" She said, holding the object up to the light for better inspection. A sudden gust of wind buffeted her and her fingers slipped, the object falling to the ground. Rukia looked down at it. It reminded her of something but she could not quite place it.

But as she reached down to pick it up once again, she gasped, her eyes wide. Images flashed through her mind. A skull mask. Yellow and black eyes. Clawed feet. Strange markings. But most importantly, large pure black wings.

Rukia shivered slightly as she looked down at her hand, her eyes resting on the small, black feather that lay in her palm.

* * *

The waves washed onto the beach, making a slight sound that echoed against the cliffs. The sun was quickly setting, casting the sky with a mixture of colours ranging from blue to pink. A figure sat in the centre of the beach, not even bothering to move as the waves came closer and closer, their legs stretched out across the sand.

Amber eyes gazed at the sunset, filled with sadness and a mixture of other emotions. The teenager sighed, stretching his black wing out behind him. Keigo had been less than enthusiastic to find out who his best friend really was but Ichigo knew that he had needed to tell someone about it.

In a way, he was glad that Keigo had found out because it saved him the trouble of telling him in the future. Ichigo glanced down at his hand in which he held his skull-like mask. He turned it over, looking at the markings on it and gave a small smile. It was no wonder that people were scared of him with a mask like that but he couldn't help it. The mask was a part of him and there was nothing that he could do to change it.

In fact, Ichigo thought to himself, it was a wonder that Rukia hadn't been suspicious of him in the first place, when she had first met him as Tsuki Kuro. He knew that his true form looked more evil than a demon and yet, Rukia had trusted him, contrary to what he had believed would happen. Of course, Ichigo hadn't even wanted her to find out about him in the first place and it had been by pure luck (or bad luck) that she had found him that night.

His smile grew as he thought about the time that he had spent with her as Tsuki Kuro and even though he had enjoyed it immensely, he had known that it would not last. Naturally, if an angel encountered someone like him, they would be curious enough to ask questions in order to find out the truth. After that, it was only a matter of time before they found out the truth and began to hate him.

It had hurt Ichigo considerably when Rukia had attacked him but it was in her natured. She lived to fight against demons and help the good souls so, of course, she had attacked him because he was her enemy. But still, he had wished that that hadn't happened.

Ichigo shifted slightly, throwing his mask onto the sand. He had wondered many times as to whether he should tell Rukia the truth but after Keigo's reaction, he wasn't sure if he would anymore. He knew that Rukia would have to go back to the soul society soon enough and after that, he would probably never see her again. But still, he hesitated to tell her.

He just didn't want her to hate him. Ichigo closed his eyes, breathing in the salty sea air, enjoying the last rays of warmth on his body. Then he heard the sound of movement behind him and he slowly opened his eyes. "Keigo, I know that this is a shock for you but please say something." He turned his head to see Keigo sitting behind him, eyes wide in shock.

The brown hair teenager glanced at Ichigo as if he barely recognised him and swallowed nervously. "Ichigo..."

Ichigo sighed before getting to his feet. He turned to face Keigo, crossing his arms as he did. He blinked his amber eyes slowly. He had changed his eyes back after Keigo freaked out as he didn't want to add to the list of stuff that Keigo would go mental over. "I'm sorry for lying to all of you guys but it's really not something that you tell just anyone." He paused, waiting to see if Keigo would say something but when he didn't, Ichigo frowned. "I want to make sure that you know the truth. The whole truth."

Keigo glanced up at Ichigo, his eyes vacant "So what is the whole truth, Ichigo? I thought that when you told me that you were the devil that was the end of the big surprises." He glanced away bitterly.

Ichigo gave a short laugh and sat down next to him. "You're right. But I haven't ever told anyone about my past. You see Kiego, I'm hundreds of years old and when you've lived as long as me, life itself seems meaningless. You watch as people grow old and die and for what? It seems like there is no point. I lived for years as one of the feared Devil's, watching as my father led the army against the hordes of angels. And then my dad was captured by those very angels. When that happened I fled to the human world and for the past ten years, I've been living here as a human."

He shifted slightly, his gaze becoming distant. "I never wanted to harm anyone but yet, everyone believes that I am evil. Of course, they based this assumption on the way my father acted... Still, it's not fair to me and for as long as I can remember; I have been hated by both angels and humans. Humans.. they blame me for everything even though none of it's my fault. You don't know what I have to go through every time I hear someone say something bad about me... because none of it's true." His eyes had filled with tears and he looked away so that Keigo did not see him crying.

But Keigo had already seen the tears and his judging gaze softened considerably. He reached up with one hand, paused and then placed his hand on Ichigo's shoulder. "I'm sorry... I know that you would never do anything evil it's just..." he trailed off "a lot to take in, finding out that your best friend is the devil."

Ichigo turned to face him, unspeakable joy written across his face. This was more than he could have ever asked for. His best friend had accepted Ichigo for who he truly was. He nodded once to Keigo and gave him a small smile "I know. But thank you for... accepting me."

Keigo grinned "I'm hurt that you would think that I wouldn't accept you Ichigo. You're still my best friend no matter what and I am glad that you trust me enough to tell me the truth." His grin widened and Ichigo noted with a smile that he seemed to have returned to his usual self. Suddenly Keigo looked upwards, his eyes landing on Ichigo's large black wings. "Can you fly with them..?" He asked in a soft voice.

Ichigo laughed and nodded. "Yep." He noticed Keigo's curious gaze and sighed "You can touch them if you really want to."

Keigo stood up and reached out tentatively, the tips of his fingers brushing the black feathers. "Wow.." He whispered softly before grinning down at Ichigo. "You really are amazing."

The devil moved his wings slightly, laughing at Keigo's stunned expression and got to his feet. "You should get back, Keigo, it's almost dark."

Keigo glanced around, noticing that Ichigo was speaking the truth. "Oh.." He said "My sis is gonna kill me! I'm gonna be late!"

Ichigo grinned at him and Keigo gulped nervously. He leaned closer "I can get you home quicker." He said.

"How?"

Ichigo held out one clawed hand and a swirl of black energy appeared in it. "Magic." He whispered, enjoying Keigo's scared expression. "Now..." He put on his mask, his eyes becoming yellow and black. _**"Are you ready Keigo?"**_

Keigo jumped slightly at Ichigo's strange sounding voice but nodded. _"Good," _Ichigo said and he snapped his wings open to their full length, black energy appearing around him. **_"I'll see you tomorrow, Keigo Asano."_**

Keigo looked into Ichigo's demonic eyes and took a deep breath in. The energy had almost completely covered Ichigo now and the only thing that Keigo could see was his skull-like mask staring out at him from the darkness. This was the last thing that he saw before his world went black.

* * *

It was late. Too late. Ichigo still had not come home and Rukia was pacing the room anxiously. "He wouldn't allow himself to get hurt, would he?" She whispered, her large purple eyes showing just how worried she really was.

The single black feather lay in the middle of the bed, its soft tip rising upwards slightly. It was a mystery in itself as Rukia had never seen any birds with black feathers around the area. Also, the feather seemed far too large to have come off any bird. As she felt that the feather wasn't that important in the current situation, she had tried to push it from her mind but it kept coming back again and again.

No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't ignore the fact that it reminded her of him. Pausing for a moment, Rukia stole a glance at the window as if expecting to see a dark figure standing across the street. But there was no one there and it had grown so dark that even if someone was there, she probably wouldn't have been able to see them.

Trying to stay calm, Rukia turned her attention back to the matter at hand. Ichigo's absence. She searched through her mind, trying to remember some other spell that might help her find him but she could not think of anything she had not already tried. Breathing in and out slowly, she sat down on the edge of the bed, the tips of her wings brushing against the now closed window, her fingers entwined in the strands of her black hair. Purple eyes watching the door anxiously but they soon trailed back to rest on the black feather that lay next to her.

Shivering unconsciously, Rukia watched as a white feather dislodged itself from her wings and began to spiral down gently, its rounded tip spinning around and around. Then it landed next to the black feather and a small sigh escaped Rukia's lips.

Black and white. They lay next to each other, the colours that had for eternity represented the good and evil in the world and Rukia reflected that it still did now. The pure white colour of the angel's wings and the depressing black that belonged to a demon. But it was not only that. He had black wings as well and Rukia wondered how she did not notice it before. As soon as she had seen those wings, she should have known that something was up. But to her, those particular black wings hadn't seemed evil.. no, quite the opposite, Rukia thought as she looked at the two feathers.

But it was not only that, Rukia thought, her deep purple eyes narrowing slightly. Black and White. The most contrasting colours one could get yet as she looked at them, she thought that they seemed to go together. To belong together.

Shaking her head the angel stood up, her bare feet shuffling slightly on the cool floor. She reached over and picked up the two feathers, cradling them gently in her hands and she made her way to the window. She slid it open, careful not to make too much noise and paused. She had realised as soon as she had seen the feather that she was still not over him. No matter how hard she tried, she could not seem to forget about him and she knew that it was time to do something about that.

Rukia moved forward so that her cupped hands were outside the room and taking in a deep breath, she imagined him. Then she spread her fingers wide and moved her hands apart. The two feathers fell off of her hands before flying away in the slight breeze, playfully twisting and turning in the night.

Rukia relaxed, her mind clearer than it had been for quite some time. Even though the black feather itself was not especially important to Rukia, the act of her letting it go had finally made Rukia let go of him. He was dead and there was no changing that. Rukia knew she just had to accept it and move on. Her shoulders lifted and she felt like a huge weight had been lifted off her shoulders. The angel felt lighter and happier.

A genuine smile suddenly flickered into life and her eyes twinkled with happiness. Now that she had truly let go, she could focus on her short time that remained in the human world and more importantly, she could focus on Ichi-

Rukia's whole body suddenly froze, her previous happiness disappearing completely. Her eyes widened and she gasped. She suddenly felt cold all over, a bad premonition. Her gaze was locked onto a figure that had appeared across the street and although it was dark, she found that she could see him perfectly.

Any human who had happened to be walking past at that moment would not have seen the strange figure and that was just as well. Clawed feet and hands were almost normal in comparison t the rest of the figure. He wore a tattered black hakama, his chest bare revealing strange markings that spread outwards from a circular hole that seemed to go right through his body. Menacing black wings spread out from his back, almost invisible in the darkness. His face was deeply shadowed by the dim light, a skull like image staring out into the night, long horns on either side. Yellow irisis stared out from pools of black. Suddenly, his head tilted up and he met Rukia's eyes.

Rukia leapt backwards, her heart fluttering wildly. There was no doubting it, Rukia thought as she stared at the figure in shock. Tsuki Kuro was still alive.

She felt frozen, unable to move. It felt like she was in a dream and that she would soon wake up but deep down she knew that it was no dream. There was no way that she could believe that the figure standing there was not real.

When she had finally recovered from the shock, Rukia noticed that Tsuki Kuro was still staring at her. Is he waiting for something, she wondered silently before shaking her head "He's the enemy." She whispered angrily to herself "He would have killed you if you hadn't attacked him."

But as she looked at Tsuki Kuro, she felt a strange sense of happiness. She was happy because she hadn't killed him. Her purple eyes narrowed in anger. "There is no way that I would feel happy unless..." Her eyes widened suddenly "Unless he did something to me." But Rukia felt the same, and she couldn't remember acting differently.

Yet as she looked at him, she saw the person that she had become friends with and she couldn't help but wonder "Was that all a lie?"

Clenching her fists together, Rukia stared defiantly back at the devil "I love Ichigo." She said in a small but determined voice "I love Ichigo." And so with this in mind, she moved forward to kneel on the window sill, her dress falling around her. She spread her wings out and held up her right hand, her eyes never leaving the figure. Her wings pulsed once with a bright light and she said soflty "Dance, Sode no Shirayuki." Her wings grew brighter and the suddenly shattered silently into many pieces. The pure white pieces began to fall before they streamed together forming the shape of a sword.

Her hand closed around the sword and the white ribbon swirled around her. Her eyes narrowed and with a cry, she leapt off the window sill, her sword held out in front of her. Within moments she was directly in front of Tsuki Kuro and she saw his eyes widen in surprise. She could have killed him, just one easy movement to end his life but as she looked at him, she hesitated.

Tsuki Kuro saw her hesitation and used it to his advantage. Recovering from his surprise, he reached upwards with inhuman speed and his clawed hand covered Rukia's face. Startled, she tried to pull him off but he opened his mouth and whispered something, the words echoing eerily in the night. Rukia gave a small gasp and her head fell back limply, her eyes open and unseeing.

She began to fall backwards but Tsuki Kuro caught her before she hit the ground. He looked at her unconscious form and gave a soft sight. Reaching over, he gently closed her eyelids, her blank purple eyes now hidden from view. Checking to make sure that she was completely unconscious, Tsuki Kuro reached up and placed a hand over his mask. The mask suddenly disintegrated into slivers of black energy leaving his face out in the open, is bright orange hair standing out like a beacon.

He picked Rukia up and walked towards the Kurosaki clinic, making almost no sound. When he stood in front of the building, he spread his large black wings and leapt upwards, lightly landing on the windowsill.

Leaning forwards, he placed Rukia on the bead and looked down, a sad smile appearing on his face. "I'm sorry Rukia. I really want to tell you the truth but I'm.." He paused "too afraid that you'll hate me." Heaving a sigh, he shifted position slightly "Maybe, if you find out for yourself, you'll react better. At least, I hope..." He smiled "Keigo found out which is really odd. Of all the people, he would have been the last one that I had expected to figure it out... but yet he did. I told him not to say anything to you, but knowing him, he'll give it away. Tonight might be my last night with you..." He placed a hand on her head, touching her with great care "...so I want to say that.." He looked away, choking on the words.

"I'm sorry, Rukia." He reached upwards and plucked something out of the air before placing it on her chest. "You deserve to know the truth." And then he was gone, as quick as the wind. There was no indication that he had ever been there. None at all, except for a single black feather that lay on Rukia's chest.

* * *

A/N- This chapter was actually split into two chapters cause it was up to 6,000 words in length and still going. At least this way I got it update quicker than if i had written out the whole thing. Also, because I split it into two, the next chapter is almost finished already. Should be updated quickly and I MEAN quickly this time. I'll get my friend to pester me if i dont update it after a week ok? :)

On another note, thanx to my faithful readers for reviewing! I was ECSTATIC! when i saw that this story had 77 reviews! You guys are just so amazing XD

This story was started on the 7/7 around a year ago and so I aim to finish it on that day. It has around 3 or 4 chapters left so I should be updating preety regularly if I want to keep to that schedule. But then after those chaptersm there is an epilogue which will be posted afterwards... might end up posting it as a serperate oneshot.. I'm not sure/

Well, enough of me rambling on! I hope that you guys enjoyed this and as always please review! Reviews really REALLY motivate me to write faster so .. yeah :)

See ya soon!


	9. The truth behind the mask

**A/N- Ok.. I'm doing the AN at the beginning so that I don't ruin the atmosphere at the end. I'm so sorry that it took so long to upload this chapter but once again, I made it longer. This chapter is nearly 6000 words WOOT! Longest chappy yet! Also, I've actually finished writing the WHOLE story and there are 2 more chapters to go with an epilogue afterwards. (Somehow I managed to write the last 4 chapters in 3 days. Don't ask me how) But anyway, most of you will probably be wondering why I finished it all and that is because I GET A PROPER PUBLISHED COPY OF IT WOOOT (tho it's not actually published, it's just a proof copy BUT STILL!). Anyway, I'll send u guys a pic of it when I get it in the mail but it's preety cool! **

**Other news- In 2 days, this fic will officially be one year old! WOW I can't believe it's been going on that long... I probably won't post another chappy on that day but I might (if I'm feeling up to it) do some OFFICIAL ART for it (as in art done by the author, me). But anyway, if I do, I'll post an A/N on that day. **

**Updates after today will be once a week on a Sunday probably (or Monday) and I WILL update it this time. I promise.**

**ANyway, I'll let u actually read this chapter just don't forget**

**PLZ REVIEW!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own bleach... now let me go die in my own little hole...**

**Chapter 9**

**The truth behind the mask**

Rukia's eyes shot open, hearing voices in the distance. She looked around wildly for a moment before relaxing, realising that she was in Ichigo's room. Sitting up slowly, Rukia found the she was lying on the bed, still in her guardian angel clothes. There was an insistent throbbing in her head but after a few moments, it dwindled away and she was left wondering what had happened.

Her memory was slightly blurry as if a memory modifier had been used on her but she could still remember the most important thing. Tsuki Kuro was alive. Heaving a big sigh, Rukia closed her eyes again, sifting through what she remembered. She had attacked the devil; she was sure of that but after that her mind went blank.

Purple eyes opened and the angel glanced around the room, wondering what had happened. If Tsuki Kuro was there, surely he would have attacked her but yet, she was still alive. Confused by the, Rukia stood up, ignoring the throbbing in her head as the room spun. After a moment, it settled and Rukia noticed a black feather falling to the floor. She went cold. "Not again.." She whispered softly and stooped down so that the feather landed softly in her palm. As soon as it touched her though, Rukia felt an electric shock go through her.

The angel threw the feather across the room, not knowing what had happened but the only thing that she knew was that no matter what, she had to get away from it. When she had touched it, she had felt cold, a deep kind of cold that seemed to suck the life out of her. Without a doubt, there was only one reason as to why this feather could have such an effect on her and that was because it came from a creature who was the complete opposite to an angel. Instead of purity and light, this creature was from the darkness. It was one of Tsuki Kuro's feathers.

Shivering slightly, Rukia wondered how she had gotten yet another feather on her but she found that she already knew how. Tsuki Kuro had put it there. Even though she had attacked him, he had obviously done nothing to harm her but what she didn't get was why he had done nothing. Pondering this, Rukia sat back down on the bed just as she heard a door slam. She jumped up. "Is it Ichigo?" She said eyes wide in excitement. Trying not to get her hopes up, Rukia quickly released the spell that she had put on herself and changed her clothes back to her casual ones. Glancing behind her to make sure that her wings were hidden, she waited as patiently as she could.

After a few minutes the door to Ichigo's room opened and Ichigo came in, a smile lighting up his face as he saw Rukia. "Hey" He said, closing the door behind him to make sure that his family did not see her.

Rukia felt tears well up in her eyes and she rushed forward to envelop him in a hug. "I'm so glad you're back." She said softly, relief coursing through her. "I was so worried." She smiled back at him before punching him lightly in the arm.

"Hey! What was that for?" Ichigo protested loudly.

"That was for making me worry! Where have you been Ichigo?"

He shifted uncomfortably, his amber eyes flickering around the room. He couldn't tell her the truth but at the same time, he didn't want to lie to her. Realising that she was watching him with a suspicious look, he gulped and laughed lightly. "I was just taking care of something." Rukia's glare darkened and his smile disappeared. "I'm sorry for making you worry Rukia but this was something that I had to do."

The angel studied his face for a moment, purple eyes filled with worry and hurt but after a moment she sighed. "I'm the one who should be saying sorry. I should respect your personal matters." A small smile appeared on her face, her eyes lighting up. "Anyway, you're not hurt so I'm happy."

Ichigo looked down at her smiling face and for a moment, it looked like he too was going to smile widely. But then he glanced towards the door, as if fearful that someone might be watching them. His amber eyes were thoughtful and he opened his mouth to say something but then closed it again. Heaving a sigh, he made his way over to his bed and sat down, putting his head in his hands. "I'm sorry… I'm just a bit out of it today."

Rukia's smile wavered and she walked over to him, concerned. Ichigo had always been a strong confident person in the short time that she had known him and it seemed strange to her to see him like this. It meant that something was horribly wrong. "Ichigo… it's alright. You can talk to me about it. You can trust me."

Ichigo looked up at her, spiky orange hair falling over his face and he shook his head slowly. "I'm sorry. This is just one thing that I don't want to talk to anyone about."

"That's alright. I understand." Rukia looked down at him in sadness. She trusted Ichigo with her life and so she had hoped that he would trust her in the same way. But then she remembered that she hadn't even told Ichigo the truth about herself yet. She groaned inwardly. How can I expect him to trust me if I can't even tell him my secrets, she thought to herself.

Ichigo frowned as he saw her ever-changing expression and he wondered what was making her think so hard. Sighing for the second time, he looked away hoping that she couldn't see the doubt that was evident on his face. He wanted to tell her the truth so badly that it actually pained him to look at her now. She was in love with him but not the real him and that was what hurt so much. But he knew that if he told her the truth, there was a good chance that she would hate and it would all be taken away anyway. Wondering what he should do, Ichigo didn't even notice as Rukia snuggled closer to him on the bed, wrapping her arms around his body.

In that instant, when the devil and the angel were so close to each other, Ichigo felt his reiatsu flare up in response. He had been in a rush to get back home after his talk with Keigo and so he had clumsily made a reiatsu seal. Because it was clumsily made, its reaction to Rukia's reiatsu caused it to break, reitsu leaking out and filling the room with the dense dark power that was his.

Rukia leapt off the bed, her eyes wide in horror. "No.. that's…" She whispered softly, glancing at Ichigo with a horrified look. "Ichigo. You have to leave now!" She pulled him up off the bed, talking urgently.

Ichigo mentally cursed his bad luck and wondered just how long it would be before Rukia realized that the reiatsu was his. Trying to play along, he looked at her strangely. "Why? I only just got home!"

Rukia shook her head, beginning to panic. She didn't mind fighting Tsuki Kuro on her own but it she had to protect someone, there was a good chance that either one of them would get killed. "Look. Please just trust me." Ichigo nodded and Rukia breathe a small sigh of relief. She closed her eyes and concentrated, searching with her powers to find the source of the reiatsu.

Ichigo watched her in horror. She was mere seconds away from discovering that the power was coming from him. Thinking quickly, he took a deep breath in and focused so that his reiatsu surged out suddenly. Rukia was knocked from her feet and she fell to the ground, landing in an undignified heap but still very much conscious. Ichigo rushed over to her and while she was glancing around in surprise, he lifted his shirt sleeve up. Whispering softly in an ancient language, he renewed the reiatsu seal and was relieved when the reiatsu that had been leaking into the room disappeared.

"Are you alright Rukia?" Ichigo helped her get to her feet, a concerned expression on his face.

Rukia looked at him in shock but then nodded to him, breathing heavily. She didn't know what had just happened and she wasn't sure if she ever would. Shaking off a feeling of foreboding, she wondered how she was going to explain this to Ichigo. "Ichigo... I need to tell you something..." She trailed off, her eyes catching something black on Ichigo's arm. She reached out with her hands and pulled up his sleeve, gasping in surprise as she saw that a ring of black letters in an ancient language wound around his arm. "Ichigo... when did you get this?" She asked, wondering where she had seen this strange tattoo before.

Ichigo followed her gaze, despair flickering in his amber eyes as he saw what she was looking at. It was over. He knew that she would recognize the tattoo for what it was but when he gathered up the courage to look at her, he saw that she did not seem to recognize it. He shrugged. "I don't know. I can't remember when I got it." He paused and then spoke softly "What did you want to tell me, Rukia?"

Rukia looked up at him and then smiled sadly "Nothing important."

* * *

When Rukia arrived at the school the next day, she was shocked to see Keigo standing outside. Not once had he ever been at school this early and she had never seen him waiting outside. Wondering if something was wrong, Rukia walked up to him "Hey Keigo." She said.

Keigo jumped at the sound of her voice and spun around before visibly relaxing "Oh it's you."

She frowned. Keigo seemed different. He wasn't acting goofy like he normally did which meant that something was wrong. Trying to read his expression Rukia asked "Is something wrong?"

Keigo shook his head adamantly "No, no" He said but he kept looking at Rukia with an expression that was between awe and scared. This made her confused. Not once had he ever looked at her like that and she had never given him reason to.

Deciding not to press further, Rukia settled in beside him waiting for Ichigo and the others to arrive. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed that Keigo kept glancing at her back. She bit her lip to stop herself from yelling at him when something occurred to her. There was nothing behind her, at least not what a normal human could see. Rukia's eyes widened and she spun around to face Keigo who gave a small 'eep'. "You know don't you." She said to him.

"I don't know what you're talking about" Keigo told her but Rukia had seen that fearful look when she had spoken. There was only one possible explanation for the way that Keigo was acting. Somehow, he had found out about her.

Deciding that he wasn't going to tell her the truth, Rukia risked everything and leaned forward, placing a hand on his arm. She closed her eyes and Keigo shouted out in alarm. Purple eyes opened. Keigo was staring behind her, his eyes wide as he gazed upon the two brilliantly white wings that spread out from her back.

Just by looking at him, Rukia could tell that he had already known. He wasn't as shocked as she would have expected from someone who was just finding out the truth, nor was he that scared of her. Instead, it looked like something had just been confirmed to him. Sighing, Rukia let go of his arm and her wings disappeared from his sight.

Keigo shrunk visibly under her penetrating gaze "I can't believe it Rukia." He whispered softly "You really are an angel."

Rukia watched him for a moment longer before nodding. She glanced around quickly to make sure that no one was near them "How did you find out, Keigo? I was so careful."

Keigo nodded at that, his eyes fixating on something on the other side of the road. "You were. You gave no clue about who you really were."

"Then how did you find out?" Rukia's eyes narrowed suddenly "Someone told you didn't they?" It was the only possible explanation. No one should have found out about her. It was completely impossible as she and been extremely careful. Frowning, Rukia wondered if Urahara had gone and told someone. It seemed like the kind of thing that the crazy shopkeeper would do.

Keigo coughed and looked away from her gaze. He mumbled something that sounded like 'Ichigo' and 'Tsuki Kuro'.

Rukia froze, her eyes widening but before she had a chance to ask Keigo about it again, there was a shout from behind her. She spun around to see Ichigo and Mizuiro walking towards them. "Hey!" Ichigo shouted a big grin on his face.

Rukia smiled, not even noticing as Keigo leapt behind her with a yelp of fear. She walked towards Ichigo who suddenly bent down and kissed her. Beside them, Mizuiro gasped and even Keigo was shocked. Ichigo turned to them and grinned "What?" He asked.

Mizuiro looked from Ichigo to Rukia and back again "Are you two...?" He asked, eyes wide.

Rukia nodded, slightly embarrassed but Ichigo hugged her close. "You have a problem with that?" He asked, his eyes narrowing in anger. But the two teenagers shook their heads adamantly and Ichigo smiled again. "Good." He looked down at Rukia, noting her joyful expression. "What are you so happy about?"

"Nothing" She said, her smile widening and suddenly the bell rang through the cold air.

Ichigo looked up with a slight frown. "Damn." He said softly before glancing back at Rukia "I'll meet you inside. I just need to talk to Keigo about something first."

Rukia nodded and both she and Mizuiro walked into the school leaving Ichigo with Keigo. Keigo watched them go and heaved a sigh. "She knew that I had figured out that she was an angel."

Ichigo looked at him in surprise "Really? You didn't tell her that I told you, did you?"

"No. Of course not. You told me not to tell her and so I didn't…." He trailed off thoughtfully "I'm guessing that you still haven't told her yet."

Ichigo shook his head. "She just seems so happy" His amber eyes were filled with sadness. "I don't want to be the one to destroy that happiness but.. I think I might have to."

"Why?"

"Because I'm leaving this town. It's too dangerous for me to stay any longer with more than one angel here. If the angels find out that I'm still alive, they'll destroy this town just to get to me and I can't let that happen."

Keigo's eyes widened "Where are you going to go?"

"I'll find somewhere." Ichigo grinned at him, but it was just a mask that was hiding his true feelings. "But I'll probably come back sometime, I just don't know when."

"It could be years before you can come back."

"I know."

The two friends fell into silence as they thought about it, each of them wondering just how different life would be. Finally Keigo spoke softly "We'll all miss you."

Ichigo smiled at him and this time it was genuine, with a trace of sadness. "I'll miss you guys too."

Then they both walked into the school, wondering whether this was going to be the last time that they saw each other.

* * *

"Urahara!" Rukia slammed the shop door open, revealing an empty room. She frowned. It was not like the shopkeeper to leave his prized Shoten unattended at any time of the day. It was even stranger as it was during opening hours. The angel heaved a sigh and began to pace backwards and forwards, ready to wait for however long she would need to. She needed to find out the truth and nothing was going to stop her until she knew for sure that Ichigo was alright.

The young angel bit her lip, pausing in her pacing "Hang on, Urahara wouldn't leave his shop like this so he must still be here!" She glanced around warily, wondering whether he was watching her right now and concluded that he probably was. An idea suddenly formed in her mind and she grind, holding her hands out in front of her "Ruler of the mask of flesh and blood.." She began to chant, a light growing at her fingertips. If Urahara wasn't going to come out voluntarily, she would force him out.

It worked. A figure appeared in the doorway, waving a fan about "Now, now Miss Kuchiki. If you would refrain from destroying my shop, I will gladly help you with whatever you want."

Rukia lowered her hands and the light dissipated. She eyes the shopkeeper warily, not sure just how much she could trust him. But special times called for special measures, she thought to herself and she needed to know right now. No one other than Urahara could possibly have the information that she wanted and so she knew that she would just have to trust him for the time being.

Ignoring the shopkeepers scheming expression, Rukia said "A demon can do many things. One of those is the ability to take over a body. Taking over a body, or rather 'Infestation' as us angels call it, can only be done by extremely powerful demons. If done by a demon with a low amount of power, the spell will not work and both the demon and the host body will be destroyed."

Urahara stepped forward, a frown evident on his usually happy face "You're are just repeating textbook things, Rukia. I already know all of this."

Rukia nodded, her purple eyes thoughtful "Yes, but I need to make sure about something."

"What do you need to know?"

"If a demon inhabits a body, the soul of that body dies does it not?"

Urahara paused slightly before answering "Yes."

"An angel can easily tell whether a demon is inhabiting a body because the spell used is obvious to us, yes?"

"Yes but I can't see where you are going with this, Miss Kuchiki." Urahara waved the fan about in front of his face.

The angel bit her lip, a single strand of black hair falling across her face. "That is all I wanted to know." She turned around sharply, her eyes betraying her emotions while her face remained impervious to the shopkeepers gaze. Stepping forward slowly, she made her way to the door, trying to calm her racing heart.

"But that is not the case for the devil." Urahara called out after in a jovial voice.

Rukia froze, her eyes widening suddenly. "What?" She said, spinning back around to face him. "But isn't the devil like a demon?"

"No. He's quite different. The race that the devil belongs to is its own race, just like the demons or the angels. The rules that apply to demons are different from the ones that the devil abides by."

Rukia gulped slightly and stepped forward. "Can the devil inhabit a host like a demon?"

Urahara thought for a moment before answering, his striped hat hiding his eyes from view. "Yes and no. The devil can inhabit a body but it is a different case to the way a demon inhabits a body. The devil does not actually kill the host and instead, he co-exists alongside. The host in most cases doesn't even know that they are being possessed by the devil whenever he feels necessary. Why do you want to know?"

Rukia looked away, her large purple eyes filled with a mixture of emotion. "There's this guy.." She started to say but when an evil look appeared on Urahara's face, she began to walk off. "Look, don't worry."

The shopkeeper grabbed her wrist and she whirled around to face him, surprised to see a serious and concerned look on his face. "I may act stupid all the time Rukia but I actually am worried about you. You have been acting.. strange ever since Tsuki Kuro appeared. And now.. now you ask me if a devil can inhabit a host? What's going on!"

Rukia saw the sincerity in his eyes and gave a soft sigh. "There's this guy at the school. He was one of the first people I met and I know him really well now. But the other day, when I was talking to him, I saw a tattoo on his arm, identical to the one that Tsuki Kuro has. It's some letters from an ancient language that I don't recognize. Also, I used a spell to try and find him because he went missing for a couple of hours and… I couldn't find him. It wasn't like he was dead, more that he just didn't want to be found. But the spell led me to an object, a small black feather, identical to Tsuki Kuro's feathers."

She paused for a moment, a feeling of relief sweeping over her. It was good to finally tell someone what she had been wondering about. "There's another guy I know, Keigo. This morning I found out that he knew that I was an angel and when I asked him how he had found out, I could swear that he said that Tsuki Kuro and Ichigo told him. I.. I just think that Tsuki Kuro could be taking over this guy's body because I know him well enough to know that he is definitely not Tsuki Kuro."

Urahara was silent for a moment, his eyes dark and thoughtful. "I understand your concern. If I was in your position, I would have come to the same conclusion as you have." He waved his fan but his face stayed serious. "There is a way that you could find out the truth but I need to know before I tell you, are you sure that you want to know the truth?"

Rukia breathed in deeply and thought about it. She was absolutely certain that Tsuki Kuro was not Ichigo because he trusted her enough to have told her by now. Also, he did not seem at all like Tsuki Kuro. "There is no way that he could be Tsuki Kuro" The angel repeated in a determined voice and nodded to Urahara. "I do want to know the truth."

Urahara nodded back to her. "Very well then. There is a spell that I know that would reveal if Tsuki Kuro is inhabiting this person's body. But if that is the case, the spell will cause Tsuki Kuro to briefly take over control of the body. You must be sure that you are ready for him if that happens."

"I'll be ready."

The shopkeeper looked at her determined face and gave a soft sigh.

* * *

Rukia walked home as the sky grew darker, numerous stars beginning to appear above her, twinkling brightly. A gentle breeze ruffled her short black hair and she smiled, reminded strangely of the soul society. She remembered clearly the days were she used to watch the sunset, enjoying the breeze that would gently blow her.

It had been a while since she had thought of the soul society, she realized and she briefly reflected on the fact that she didn't consider it as her home anymore. No, she considered wherever Ichigo was as her home now.

Rukia wondered what Byakuya would say to her if he knew that and was glad that he didn't. He hadn't even wanted her to go to the human world, let alone want to stay there.

But she couldn't help it. She had made so many friends already and she really did not want to leave them behind when she went back to the soul society but she knew that she had no choice. If she was lucky enough, she would get Karakura town assigned to her when she became a high guardian but the chances were slim.

She began to hum as she walked along, singing a tune that she had heard Ichigo listening to and she was so distracted that she almost didn't notice the figure standing in the darkness until she was metres away from him.

Rukia stopped suddenly, her heart beginning to beating wildly. He was standing there, his form a clear as ever, demonic eyes watching her every move. He blinked and Rukia wondered whether he could have been as statue if he hadn't moved. The angel frowned and crossed her arms, slightly embarrassed. Then she uncrossed her arms and fidgeted nervously, a light blush creeping its way onto her cheeks. After a few more moments of fidgeting, Tsuki Kuro tilted his head, amused at her strange actions _**"What is bothering you?"**_

Rukia's frown deepened and she shifted his invisible wings slightly, realising that this was the perfect moment to ask him the question that had been annoying her for quite some time "Why?"

"_**What do you mean?"**_

"Why did you not kill me?"

Tsuki Kuro stepped back, seemingly shocked. He shook his head and made a small sound _**"I thought better of you, Rukia."**_ He sounded bitter, his eyes full of sadness.

Rukia's eyes widened slightly. She hadn't expected this. He seemed genuinely upset and hurt by what she had said. Trying to hide her confusion, she spoke "I attacked you and yet you did not harm me in any way. Why?"

"_**Because little angel, I do not like to harm people. Especially you."**_

The angel felt even more confused. She had been told that Tsuki Kuro was evil and would kill people to get his way but here was thi apparently evil person, telling her that everything she had been told was a lie. "I don't understand" She said softly, her arms falling to hang beside her.

Tsuki Kuro disappeared and was suddenly next to her, his head bent low. He gently placed a clawed hand on her should and she made no move to remove it, taking comfort in this small gesture. _**"You don't need to understand Rukia. I'm leaving this town so you don't have to worry about me anymore."**_

Rukia spun around, her purple eyes wide. She had only just gained back the person that she had believed to be dead and now he was leaving her again. I don't know what to think, she thought to herself, her emotions in turmoil. "Why are you leaving?" She asked him.

The devil looked at her out of his demonic eyes and sighed before heaving a shrug. _**"To tell you the truth, I'm not really sure why Rukia. I guess it's partially because of you."**_

"Because of me?"

"_**Yes. I know that if I stay here any longer, you're going to tell the soul society that I'm here and then an all out war would ensue."**_ Tsuki Kuro looked away from her. _**"Also…."**_

"What?"

"_**If I stay here any longer,"**_ He paused as if unsure as to whether he should continue. _**"..you might be hurt more than you already have."**_ He sighed softly, his eyes dark._** "You weren't meant to find me Rukia. I hadn't wanted you to find me but you did anyway."**_

Rukia was silent for a moment, her purple eyes thoughtful. As she looked at the creature in front of her, she felt a pang of sympathy. Tsuki Kuro seemed like he really had not wanted this to happen but she wasn't sure… "Why didn't you want me specifically to find you?"

"_**Because I didn't want you to dig deeper."**_ Tsuki Kuro sighed, his head hanging low. _**"I knew that if you found me, you would be hurt by me and true to that, you have been hurt. Everyone I try and get close to just ends up getting hurt."**_

"How do you know that I'm not different? I mean, I know who you are but I'm still her aren't I?"

The creature laughed lightly, sad eyes twinkling in the moonlight. _**"True but Rukia, I haven't exactly been truthful to you. Yes, you do know what I truly am but you do still not know who I am."**_

The angel crossed her arms, getting slightly annoyed with all this talk of truth. She knew that she wanted give Tsuki Kuro another chance to redeem her trust. "That may be so but I want to know. I want to be able to trust you but I can't do that without knowing the truth. Everyone else may say that you're evil but.." She took a deep breath in, hoping that she wasn't signing her death warrant. "I don't believe you are. So please, let me trust you. Tell me the truth."

Tsuki Kuro gazed at her, demonic eyes peering out from beneath the skull-like mask. The sharp angles caught the rays of the afternoon sun, giving the mask a haunted appearance. The black wings that spread out from his back shifted slightly, the many feathers poised in the air. _**"You don't know how much I want you to know the truth but when you know, you won't trust me anyway." **_He trailed off softly, looking away. He wouldn't admit it but at that moment, he felt a stab of fear. He truly was afraid of Rukia's reaction when she discovered the truth and this was the one thing that was keeping him from showing her.

Rukia stepped forward and reached out with one slender hand. The tips of her delicate fingers touched Tsuki Kuro's chest, gently tracing the black patterns. "Please," She begged him "I need to know."

The creature looked down at her, hesitation clear in his eyes. _**"I shouldn't do this"**_ He whispered softly and he moved backwards until he was a safe distance away from her. _**"I'm sorry Rukia but there are just some things that I can't tell even you."**_ He turned to go, eyes dark.

"Like the fact that you're possessing Ichigo Kurosaki?"

Tsuki Kuro froze, his wings snapping out in shock and he turned around slowly, surprise and fear evident in his eyes. He stepped towards Rukia with his clawed feet, his hands curling into fists. _**"What did you say?" **_He said his voice low.

"I can't believe that you would do that especially to someone I care deeply about. Don't look so surprised. I figured it out when I wanted to find Ichigo after he disappeared. Why did you possess him?"

"_**Che, Rukia. You have no idea. For a moment I actually thought that you had figured out everything on your own but you're still pretty far from the truth."**_

The angel stepped forward angrily "Then tell me damn it! I need to know the truth." Her wings were trembling ever so slightly with the force of her anger but after a moment, it dissipated. Her purple eyes gazed at the creature that she had come to both love and hate at the same time and she gave a soft sigh.

Tsuki Kuro reached out tentatively and placed one clawed hand on her shoulder. The angel was surprised to feel considerable warmth from it and she looked up into the yellow and black eyes that gazed down at her. Pushing away her fear, she reached up ignoring the fact that her hands were shaking slightly and she ever so softly touched his face. It was smooth and cold, like a mask, not like a face at all and in that instant, Rukia realized just how wrong she had been. She had always assumed that this was what he truly looked like but now, being as close as she was, she realized that he was in fact wearing a mask. This mask hid his identity, the truth behind who he was.

This was what he has been talking about, Rukia thought her eyes wide. Carefully, she slid her fingers underneath the mask, preparing herself for what she would see. Tsuki Kuro jumped slightly when he felt her do this and reached up to stop her before he lowered his hands. _**"You do have a right to know Rukia and so I won't stop you. But remember this. I love you Rukia and I always will. That has never been a lie."**_ A single crystalline tear slid down his face, tracing a thin line before dropping onto Rukia's hand.

The angel paused for a moment, feelings of uncertainty filling her. It was clear that he did not want her to find out who he was and it pained her to think about going against his wishes but she had waited too long to back down. Taking a deep breath in, Rukia pulled the mask up slowly, preparing herself for what she might see.

As she did this, the world seemed to go into slow motion. A thousand different outcomes shot through her head. She wondered whether he could be extremely ugly or if he was some horrible monster underneath but she knew that to her, it did not matter. When she had heard him say that he loved her, she knew in her heart that she truly loved him and nothing would be able to stop them being together. So they stood there, black and white, the darkness and the light. Eternal opposites. Good and evil. Right and wrong. But no matter how different they were, there was no denying it. They belonged together.

But then, the mask came off and spiraled to the ground, splintering into a million pieces, the sound echoing all around them. Tsuki Kuro looked down at Rukia and his black and yellow eyes slowly faded to amber. Spiky orange hair fell over his face, free from the restraint of the mask and he said softly to her, so softly in fact that she wondered later whether she had heard it at all. "I'm so sorry Rukia."

Rukia stepped backwards in horror, staggering amounts of betrayal flickering in her large eyes. Her black hair fell across her face as she shook her head, not wanting to believe what she was seeing. But the image in front of her did not disappear and after a moment, she reached out with one arm, her fingers brushing against the face of the person that she had once loved. "Ichigo..?"

* * *

Review plz


	10. Breaking hearts

**Disclaimer: I do not own bleach... :(**

**Chapter 10**

**Breaking hearts**

"Ichigo..?" Rukia's hand flew to her mouth as she looked at him in shock. "No.." She clenched her teeth together, confusion and hurt evident on her face. Mixed emotions flickered through her, rapidly changing from one to the other. She.. she didn't want to believe it. No, she couldn't believe it. There was no way that the kind person that she had come to know over the last couple of weeks was the one person that she also hated.

It seemed like a horrible dream to her, one in which everything seemed to go wrong. But she also knew that it was not a dream and that fact scared her deeply. She looked at the person in front of her, not recognizing who he really was anymore. She didn't know if he was the creature that she despised or the human that she had come to love. But she also found that a part of her didn't want to know. She was scared that the answers to her questions would mean that her heart would be broken. Still, she knew she had to say something before the despair welled up inside of her.

Shaking her head, she asked softly. "Who are you?"

Ichigo looked at her, defeat evident in his now amber eyes but he chose to keep quiet. It hurt him more than he would admit to see Rukia looking at him like that. It had been hard enough with Keigo but it was unspeakably worse with the person that he had fallen in love with. He had no idea what was going through her mind but he could only imagine the hatred she was feeling for him. He had lied to her and betrayed her. There was no mistaking that.

Rukia grew angry when he didn't answer and rounded on him, her eyes flashing furiously "Who the hell are you?"

Ichigo sighed softly, realising that he couldn't keep quiet for much longer "I'm Ichigo but I'm also Tsuki Kuro."

"How … how can you be both?"

"I always have been. Tsuki Kuro is the person that most people see when they look at me and judge me for what I am but Ichigo is who I truly am."

"So.." She thought for a moment, betrayal clear in her eyes. "…was all that time that I spent with Ichigo Kurosaki just a lie?"

Ichigo stepped forward, reaching out with one hand, a shocked expression on his face "Of course not Rukia. That was all real."

But Rukia wasn't listening to him and she moaned softly, shaking her head. "I should have realized right from the moment I met you. You never even questioned my past and you sometimes seemed to know more than you let on. That time when I felt your reiatsu in class and it was like Tsuki Kuro's… the fact that you'd been adopted ten years ago when Tsuki Kuro disappeared ten years ago.." She moaned again, not quite believing that she hadn't figured this out sooner. "And then just yesterday with the reiatsu in the bedroom. I should've realized that it was coming from you. Argh!" She glared furiously, her hand clenched into fists. "You might think that you had a good reason for keeping this from me but you didn't, Ichigo. You didn't! If you had just told me this when you met me then this wouldn't have happened!"

Ichigo looked at her sadly. "I'm sorry Rukia… I just didn't want you to be hurt."

"Hurt!" She gave a bitter laugh, her voice gaining a slightly hysterical edge to it. "You didn't want me to be hurt? If you hadn't wanted to hurt me, you would've told me straight away. Then I wouldn't have fallen in love with you, believing that you were a good person." Tears sprung into her eyes but she wiped them away quickly, not wanting to show weakness to the devil that stood in front of her.

"I don't know what to say.."

"You shouldn't say anything. You'll just make it worse."

"Rukia.."

The angel closed her eyes as crystalline tears began to spill down her face carving wet streaks into her pale cheeks. "You're the devil Ichigo! You're my enemy and I'm supposed to hate you because you lie to everyone! I wanted to believe you when you told me that you weren't evil but yet, you lied to me this whole time. How am I meant to trust you after that Ichigo?" She looked at Ichigo as if she was pleading him to tell her that she was wrong.

But Ichigo shook his head. "I don't know Rukia…..it's not my choice to make. It's up to you to decide whether or not you can trust me anymore. Anything I say won't make a difference.. I just want.." He paused for a moment and Rukia's eyes acquired a blank look as she heard this.

"You just want what?" She said softly. "You want me to be best friends with you? You want me to fall in love with you? You want to betray the trust that I had placed in you?" She stepped forward, her eyes beginning to flash dangerously. "You want to hurt me so deeply that I'm wondering if I can ever even look at you again? Well guess what Ichigo! You've done all those things. You've made me despise you because of what you did to me. There were so many chances over the weeks that I've known you to tell me the truth. You could have told me as Tsuki Kuro before I even found out that you were the devil's son. Maybe then I would have believed you and I would have been able to trust you, knowing that I would not get hurt anymore. You could have told me as Ichigo as well and I would have believed you because I loved you. But no! You didn't tell me! You waited until the very last moment!"

She clenched her hands into fists, trying to hide the fact that she was shaking slightly. "You waited until I had already found out the truth and you waited until I hated you." She looked down, sniffling slightly. "Ichigo, I don't think that you understand how much you meant to me. You were the one thing that was going to keep me in the human world instead of going back to the soul society. But now that you're dead to me, I don't feel that I should stay here any longer."

Ichigo looked taken aback, his eyes filled with pain. "No Rukia! I know that you're friends with the others as well! Don't go back before the month is up! They want to be your friend..." He trailed off suddenly before looking away. "Look, I told you moments ago that I was going to leave and it's true. I can't be here while you're here because I know that I'll cause you too much pain. No matter what, I want you to be happy."

Rukia closed her eyes, her eyebrows knitting together. "Ichigo... I'm sorry but I really can't do this." Then suddenly she felt a hand on her shoulder and she looked up to see Ichigo smiling down at her with a sad look in his eyes.

"I know." He stepped backwards, tilting his head to one side. "Rukia, I'm sorry for everything that I've done to you. I know just how much pain I have caused you but I want you to know that I wouldn't have changed anything. I had the best time in my life when I was with you. It was the first time I felt truly accepted for who I was. But.." He looked down, his eyes now hidden by his spiky orange hair. "I guess I was wrong. I just don't fit anywhere because I can't deny who I am."

Rukia opened her violet eyes slowly, trying not to burst into tears as she gazed into his eyes. Somewhere deep down she wished that she could just forget about everything and she knew that she actually could. She knew that there was a way to make her forget everything and in turn it would stop the intense pain that she was feeling. But in order to forget Tsuki Kuro, she would need to forget Ichigo and she also knew that she could never do that. No matter what happened in the future, Rukia made a silent promise to herself that she would never forget him. But then she felt a small bubble of rage growing inside of her and she looked away quickly. "..go.."

The devil looked surprised. "What?"

"Just go!" She lashed out, hitting him hard on the cheek with her small hand. "I can't do this anymore! I can't..." She broke off into uncontrollable sobbing, burying her face in her hands as despair welled up within her.

Ichigo looked at her in shock, gingerly reaching up with one hand to his face, unable to believe what had just happened. In all the times he had imagined this exact scenario, Rukia had never actually been angry enough to hurt him. But as he looked at her shaking form, he realized exactly what he had done to her and it made him sad. He had effectively ruined her life with only a few short words. He knew that nothing could ever make her forgive him. Taking a deep breath in, the devil closed his eyes briefly, trying to ignore the tears that were filling his eyes. "I'm sorry.." He said, not sure what else to say.

"I said go!" Rukia screamed at him. "Don't you get it Ichigo? I hate you!" She looked down at the ground tears falling without a sound. "I hate you.."

Ichigo flinched, her words biting into him. He watched her for a moment, feeling an incredible pain in his chest as his heart was torn to pieces before saying softly "I love you." And then he was gone.

Rukia stood there for a moment before wiping away her tears, her eyes watching the space that Ichigo had stood in not moments before. After a moment however, she began to sob and collapsed to the ground, her eyes wide as she shook her head. "I can't believe it.. " She muttered to herself, her eyes filling with tears. "This whole time.. Ichigo was Tsuki Kuro." It felt like a nightmare to her, to find out that the person that she loved was the devil. She didn't want to believe it but now that she thought about it, she realized that there had been so many things that pointed to it and she had just chosen to ignore them.

"He's the devil!" She didn't want to accept the fact that he was in fact the devil, the person that was her most despised enemy. The creature that killed innocent people and lied all the time in order to get personal gain. It was more than just Tsuki Kuro being the devil, much more... Ichigo was the person that she trusted the most and she had loved him. But now, after finding out that he had lied to her the whole time, she wasn't sure what to think anymore.

She wondered if he had truly been using her the whole time and with a defeated sigh, she decided that he probably had. After all, if he truly had feelings for her like he said, he wouldn't have lied. Yet.. Rukia thought, her mind swirling in confusion. Just then, she heard the light sound of footsteps on the ground and she whirled around to see Isshin Kurosaki standing there. In her distress, she had forgotten to hide the fact that she was an angel and she panicked for a moment before noticing that Isshin didn't seem shocked. "You ..knew?" She asked softly, not just talking about the fact that she was an angel.

Isshin sighed and sat down next to her. "Rukia, I'm not actually human either." He turned to look at her with sad eyes. "I'm an angel. Or I was until I fell in love with a human and ran to earth with her." He smiled sadly "She was so beautiful and she loved me, even after I told her what I truly was." Then he nodded at her "I've known that you've been in my house this whole time. I sensed you that night you came down to earth and I knew that Ichigo had taken care of you after that. I also knew since the time that I'd met him that Ichigo was the devil's son."

Rukia was silent for a moment and she gazed up at the night sky, watching the twinkling stars. "Why? Why did you take him in if you knew?"

Isshin sighed "I don't really know why. When I saw him standing there in the rain, miserable, I realised that he needed someone to take care of him, to be a father. And so I decided to adopt him. I was worried at first because I didn't know what he would do. For all I knew, him acting miserable could have been an act to try and befriend me. But after a few weeks, I wondered if I had been right about him in the first place. It was easy to work out that he had an extremely large amount of power. If he had wanted to, he could have killed me without me even knowing. But he didn't and that fact mattered to me a whole lot more than I think he realized."

The black-haired man ran a hand through his hair, gazing up at the sky thoughtfully. "I realized later on that adopting him was in fact one of the best decisions that I have ever made in my whole life. Ichigo was different. He always has been. But it wasn't the bad kind of different. It was actually good and the fact that he is the devil's son doesn't change that."

Rukia looked at him, confusion evident on her young-looking face "What do you mean by different?"

Isshin sighed again "I don't suppose you would understand. You're too young."

"Tell me!"

He held up his hands in defeat. "Alright!" He paused for a moment, gathering his thoughts. "When I found him, Ichigo was pretty unsociable. He was afraid of others because they judged him. If he didn't act how he was supposed to, they would be mean to him and tease him. But the problem was, he didn't want to act how he was supposed to. His whole life, he had been forced to act as the devil's son and when he came to earth, he came to escape all that. I took him in and after a few months I realised just how bad people had treated him in the past. So I vowed to watch him closely to see if I could help him but nothing I did seemed to make any difference. He treated me with a distinct coldness because of what he had experienced in the past. But when my two daughters were born, I finally saw a different side of him. He loved them so much and treated them as his own siblings. They loved him back and I never was able to ruin this by telling them who he truly was. So, I watched in silence as he began to change. Then I enrolled him in school and he met some friends there. He changed even further and he began to enjoy life, relishing in the fact that people liked him for who he was."

Isshin stopped for a moment to catch his breath "So you see, Ichigo is different to what people think he is like. He is more human than you might think but the fact that he is the devil's son makes him different from the rest of us. That is something that you need to understand about him. But more importantly, he would never deliberately hurt the ones he loves" His eyes met Rukia's "And he did not mean to cause you any pain."

Rukia gave a hollow laugh and looked away so that he did not see the betrayal in her eyes. "That may be so but he still lied to me. Anyway, how do I know that I can believe all that you are telling me?"

Isshin gave her a smile "Because you know deep down that Ichigo is not like that. You know that he is as good as the rest of us if not better. You only need to give him a chance."

The two sat in silence for a few minutes before Rukia finally spoke, her voice heavy with betrayal and hurt. "I have spent enough time with him over the past month to know that he is not like that. I have even spent enough time with him as Tsuki Kuro to know that he did not mean to cause me any pain. I know that he is actually good."

Isshin looked at her, confusion written all over his face. Rukia reflected that it was strange to see him this serious because she had come to think of him as the crazy, hyper man that liked to randomly attack Ichigo. She realised now that that had all been a mask in order to protect Ichigo and to give him a normal life. Isshin spoke softly "If you know that he is truly good then why do you still hate him?"

Rukia looked away again "I'm not actually sure" She said in a small voice. She was telling the truth. After reflecting over everything that had happened, she knew that Ichigo had a right to not tell her who he was and she knew that he hadn't because he wanted to protect her from the truth. But still she felt angry at him and slightly sad. "I have no idea why I still hate him so much"

Isshin watched her silently, seeing the ever changing emotions that flickered in her eyes. Then he realized what was making her so annoyed. It wasn't the fact that Ichigo was actually the devil that made her angry. Nor was it the fact that he was her enemy. It was the thought that Ichigo had kept something a secret from her. Rukia had trusted in Ichigo with all her heart when she had realized her feelings for him and she had thought that he had loved her back. To discover that he was keeping something this big a secret from her, showed that he did not in fact trust her.

It was hurtful and caused more pain than the actual secret itself. Rukia had just wanted Ichigo to trust her but by hiding this he had shown that he did not. Isshin sighed and looked up at the dark sky, wondering when the last time that he had seen it was. It had been so long. Then he glanced back to the crestfallen angel and opened his mouth to speak. Then he paused and changed what he was going to say "I think I know why you hate him so much Rukia."

Rukia looked up in surprise "Tell me! I want to know so that I don't hate him this much anymore."

But Isshin shook his head and stood up "I'm sorry but I can't. You must find out on your own otherwise you will not be able to ever forgive him." He turned to go but glanced back at the angel for a moment, his eyes full of concern and sympathy. He knew just how hard it was to be in love and he wanted nothing more than to help these two but he knew that he couldn't interfere. They had to work it out on their own. "Rukia, just remember. Ichigo has a good heart and he loves you with that heart." Then he was gone, walking back towards his house in the darkness.

Rukia watched him go with a slight amount of sadness. He was a nice person, she thought to herself and she was glad that he had found Ichigo when he had come to earth. If he hadn't, Ichigo would probably have gotten caught by the angels and this wouldn't be happening now. But, Rukia said to herself as her gaze returned to the sky, would that have been a bad thing? To tell the truth, she didn't actually know anymore. She couldn't tell what she thought about this whole thing but she knew that it would take some time to figure out her true feelings.

Heaving a big sigh, she got to her feet, stretching her white wings out behind her. Then with a small amount of defeat, she walked after Isshin, knowing that he would take her in while she sorted this out. She slid her bare feet across the ground and with each step, heard whispers in the wind. He betrayed you. He betrayed you.. the whispers said but Rukia ignored them and kept on walking through the night.

It was all too much.

* * *

The air was thick with moisture as if it was about to rain. A blonde-haired man stared off into the distance, his eyes unusually thoughtful. Rays of sunlight drifted over the tops of the nearby houses as the sun began to greet the new day.

He suddenly felt a strong presence and glanced around, his gaze fixating on a teenager that stood in the middle of the street. Strange, the man thought and dismissed him but as a few golden rays alighted the young teenager's face, he sat up hurriedly, eyes wide in surprise. "You.." He said, not even bothering to hide how amazed and also afraid he was that this person was here.

The teenager walked forward, slowly and meaningfully, his yellow and black eyes never once leaving the shopkeeper. As he neared the building two large back wings flickered into existence behind him. The teenager looked at them before giving a soft laugh. "I should've known that you would have spells around here, Kisuke Urahara"

Urahara waved his fan around him, trying to appear at ease with the whole situation. "What are you doing here, devil?"

The devil looked away sadly, his orange hair hiding his eyes from view. "Che.. I thought that you'd be like this."

"Well, why wouldn't I be distrustful towards you? After all, you have been lying to Rukia this whole time.

Tsuki Kuro froze, his demonic eyes narrowing as he looked at the shopkeeper warily. "How do you know about that?"

"Oh, I know a lot of things.. but Miss Kuchiki would often talk about you when she came here. You know, she never quite forgave herself after she thought that she'd killed you.."

Tsuki Kuro sighed and he blinked slowly. "I know."

"Oh, I know a lot of things.. but Miss Kuchiki would often talk about you when she came here. You know, she never quite forgave herself after she thought that she'd killed you.."

Tsuki Kuro sighed and he blinked slowly. "I know."

Urahara watched him for a moment, taking in the haunting eyes and large black wings. He had met the devil once and the meeting had been short, mainly consisting of a few questions for investigative reasons from the scientist. But he had never been able to study a devil as he could at the moment and he wondered how he could use this situation to his advantage. Then he realized that the devil had come to him, obviously in need of something and he wondered if he could ask for something in return. Maybe some information, he mused quietly. Then again, he though as something else occurred to him, I wouldn't want to get on his bad side. So the shopkeeper straightened up and beckoned for the tall teenager to come inside. "I have a feeling that this could take a while." He said with a defeated tone as he slid the door shut before turning to face his newest customer.

"I have often heard rumours about you. Most of them are obviously made up in order to scare the younger angels but still.. I wonder if some of them are true." He glanced meaningfully at the person on the other side of the room.

Tsuki Kuro's black and yellow eyes narrowed slightly and he spoke suddenly, his tone cold. "Look, Urahara. I know that you want some information and I will willingly give it to you once I know that I can get something in return." He paused for a moment. "Will you give me whatever I as for no matter what it is?"

Urahara eyed him for a moment but then nodded, knowing that he would give anything for the information that the devil could give him. "Then, Tsuki Kuro, I would like to know why you ran away from your father... or did your father lie to me when he told me that you had in fact run away from home ten years ago?"

The devil was silent for a moment but then.. "Yes, he was telling the truth. I ran away because I felt that I did not fit in to the stereotypical devil that my father wanted me to be."

"How so?"

"For starters, I wasn't even the slightest bit interested in attacking and killing humans. In fact, I'd always tried to talk to them instead. Of course, my father wasn't in the least bit happy with this but because I was his son, he forgave me. But it wasn't just that. No matter how hard I tried, I could not find the willingness to fight with the angels. The angels had never personally done any wrongdoing to me and so I did not want to harm them. But when I asked my father what they had done to make him hate them, he only replied that he fought them because he must. Because it was his duty to fight with them. It was just what any devil had to do." He stopped for a moment, giving a small sigh.

"So ten years ago, I decided that I didn't want to get caught up in what my father wanted me to do and so I escaped to the human world. It was easy enough to hide here with my powers and if I didn't want anyone to find me, than no one would."

Urahara nodded, filing the important bits of information away for future reference. He had to admit that the devil wasn't anything like what he had been expecting and he found that he could almost feel a small bit of sympathy for the powerful creature. The situation was very similar to what Rukia had experienced when she had joined the Kuchiki clan. "If you didn't want to be found, then why did you let Rukia Kuchiki find you?"

"Because I had already noticed that she was in this town. I watched her before she met me of course and I wondered if she would know who I was. I decided to test it out and so I made her follow me one night. Of course I lied to her about what I was. I didn't want her to know right away and it was interesting to see how she reacted to me when she thought that I was just another creature.." Tsuki Kuro tilted his head to the side, a soft smile lighting up his face as he remembered it. "Of course, she had to find out eventually and I have you to thank for that, Urahara."

Urahara stopped thinking suddenly, gazing at the devil from around his fan. But he noticed that he didn't seem particularly angry about it. "I have one last question for you before you tell me what you want." He drew a deep breath in "What is your connection to the human, Ichigo Kurosaki?"

Tsuki Kuro looked at him in surprise and then began to laugh. "I should've known that you had something to do with it." He said, sounding amused. "I'll have you know that Rukia was wrong. I am not inhabiting the body of Ichigo, I am in fact Ichigo Kurosaki. I have lived in the human world for ten years now under that name."

Urahara nodded, not at all surprised. "I thought so. After all, demons don't tend to inhabit humans and there was no way that the tattoo was just a coincidence." He paused. "Have you told Miss Kuchiki? Does she know yet?"

"Yes.." Tsuki Kuro looked away to hide the sadness in his eyes. "She questioned me about Ichigo and it ended with me telling her the truth. I just couldn't keep lying to her. She deserved to know after all I had put her through"

Urahara studied the devil for a moment and realized that he was sincere in his sadness. It was surprising for him to see a devil like this as he vividly remembered the time that he had met Tsuki Kuro's father. He had been a bloodthirsty monster who enjoyed massacring thousands of humans. But this devil.. he was different. The ten years that he had spent in the human world had obviously changed him and he seemed more … human. He felt other emotions apart from the negative ones and had even found love. After a few moments of silence, Urahara spoke again his voice full of sympathy. "Well, what is it that you want from me? You wouldn't have come let me ask all those questions if you didn't want something that only I could give you."

The devil looked at him surprise "Don't you have any more questions?"

The scientist gave a sigh and shook his head. "Even those few questions gave me more than enough information. You can consider that as payment for what you want from me."

The orange haired teenager ran a hand through his spiky hair, black and yellow eyes meeting grey. "I want to get away from here."

* * *

A/N- I AM SOOO SORRY! I kept putting off writing this for soo long! I can't believe I put it off! Srsly I'm soo sorry! But hopefully it was worth it..? The other day I finally told myself 'SIT DOWN AND WRITE ALREADY" and I actually did. I also spent a lot of time editing it so I hope that it ends up being good because it is such an important chapter. As soon as this is posted, I'm going to go and finish the next chapter which is in fact the last one! (Apart from the epilogue) I can't believe that it's almost finished! It's so sad!

But thanks to all my readers for sticking with me through this extremely annoying bout of gaps between updating.

Please review!

p.s- I bothered to go on Photoshop for once and I actually drew a pic for this fic. It's up on my dA account with the same username! If u have time I would enjoy to hear ur feedback on it!

Until next time (which I hope is soon),

Gadzooks97


	11. The Final Goodbye

**Authors note: MERRY CHRISTMAS! This is my christmas present to all you guys and I hope you enjoy it! And yes, this chapter marks the end of this story (though there is an epilogue) but I'm very sad that it is finished. I hope you all enjoyed it and please review to tell me what you thought of this fic! Merry christmas again! Oh and its really late where I live so if there are mistakes I'll look at it tommorrow and fix it up :)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own bleach**

**Chapter 11**

**The Final Goodbye**

"What?" Renji's eyes widened slightly, surprised. It was strange for a messenger to be sent to him demanding that he come to the meeting that was currently held. What was even stranger was the fact that this meeting had only been called mere minutes ago, for reasons no one knew. But the angel knew that if he didn't comply then the punishment from Byakuya would be far worse than he could ever imagine so he slowly got to his feet and gave a leisurely stretch.

The messenger blinked at him in anticipation as she waited for him to actually go to the meeting. She didn't feel that her job would be complete until that happened so she stood there and waited, silently wishing that it wouldn't take too long.

Renji caught her gaze and turned to look at her with a raised eyebrow, wondering what could have her so anxious. But then he realized and he rolled his eyes, yawning slightly. He had been in the middle of his long day of relaxing and it had been a blessing to discover that Byakuya had been called to a meeting. This had meant that he wouldn't need to worry about being caught while doing nothing. But now he had been called to some stupid meeting.

He idly wondered if the meeting was merely another sign that the old man was just getting a bit old but then he cringed as he realized that he really shouldn't be thinking things like that. It was rumoured that Yamamoto could read peoples thoughts and although it was only a rumour, Renji couldn't help but wonder if it was actually true. Shaking his head slightly, he dispelled sigh thoughts from his mind and quickly tied up his long red hair into its usual ponytail, knowing that for a meeting he had to look somewhat presentable or Byakuya would skin him alive afterwards.

The messenger gave an impatient sigh but when Renji gave her an odd look she blushed lightly and lowered her head, knowing that it was not her place to tell him to hurry up. Hoping that he wouldn't punish her, she was surprised when he just drawled. "Fine, fine. I'm coming."

She risked a look at his face to see that he was grinning widely at her and she gave a little smile before bowing, knowing that he was just joking with her. But it was time for her to go and she quickly excused herself from the room.

Renji watched her go, shaking his head slightly. It was always like that with the messengers. They were too afraid of the higher ranked angels and so they always acted so.. proper. He grimaced. It was something that really bugged him with the angels and it was also something that he never felt the need to do, no matter how many times Byakuya tried to force it into him.

A slight smile quirked up his face and he made his way out the door, quickly navigating the corridors to find the meeting. His white wings were spread out behind him, their feathers unusually clean and shining, the pure colour almost blinding. He glanced back at them for a moment, proud as he had spent a lot of time cleaning them that morning since he had the time. He supposed it was just good luck that he would actually look decent for this meeting.

As he made his way through the seireitei, he noted that most of the angels seemed to be whispering about something, their expressions grave. As he got closer and closer to the meeting, he saw fewer angels, many seeming to hide in buildings as if they were scared of something. Scared of something powerful. He blinked, wondering if he was just imagining things but the fact that this was an impromptu meeting told him otherwise.

Within a few minutes he was in front of the doors and he raised one hand to knock, only to find that they were already ajar. Curious, he poked his head in to see all of the high-ranked angels standing there, their expressions grave. He felt a cold rush of fear go over him as he realized that something really had happened and he walked inside, standing next to Byakuya who gave him a cold glare.

Soon everyone was there and Yamamoto stood up, his eyes cracking open slightly as he began to speak. "I have called everyone here today because of an emergency."

Whispers briefly filled the room before silence fell once again. "Everyone will remember the devil, the powerful creature that continually opposed us and fought with us." There was a murmured assent and Yamamoto continued. "We had thought that when we captured and executed him that we would have heard the end of that but then we discovered that the devil had a son. I had assumed that because the son had not appeared in ten years, we would no longer have to think of him as a current threat to us. But unfortunately that is not true."

Yamamoto gave a sigh, his head dropping down slightly. "This morning, many angels stationed in Karakura town reported to have seen an extremely powerful creature in its vicinity. This creature bore a certain likeness to the devil and it has since been confirmed that it is in fact his son."

Byakuya spoke up, his voice calm and collected even while he was processing this new information. "What are we going to do?" He asked.

Yamamoto turned to face him. "This new devil is too close to humans and so he is now classified as a threat. We must stop him at all costs, even if we destroy the town in the process. We will attack within the hour." He then banged his staff against the floor, the sound resonating throughout the room and indicating that the meeting was over.

Renji stood there in surprise, knowing that Rukia was in that town at the moment and if she didn't get out of there soon, she could get destroyed along with the other humans. He swore softly before quickly running out. It would take all of his luck for him to get to Rukia in time and warn her but even then there was a chance that she could die.

He spread his wings wide and soared into the air, his destination firmly in his mind.

* * *

Renji tapped lightly on the window, his large wings spread out behind him. His usually grinning face was strangely serious, his brown eyes full of regret. He looked tired, as if he hadn't slept for days and his pure white wings were slightly bent out of shape. Strands of his bright red hair had fallen out of his ponytail. "Rukia!" He called softly but urgently, tapping on the glass once more.

Rukia's head shot up as she heard her name and she looked over in surprise, wondering why Renji had come. She scrambled over to the window, sliding it open as quickly as she could "Renji?" Her eyes widened in shock "What are you doing here?"

Her friend glanced over his shoulder fearfully, as if he was worried that someone was watching him. "Look I don't have much time. Someone could see me at any moment…" He trailed off. "I shouldn't be here. I could get into lots of trouble."

Rukia grinned at him "That's never stopped you before" She said but her grin faded as she saw just how anxious he really was. "Renji.. what's wrong?" Worry filled her violet eyes.

Renji leaned closer to her, a panicked look appearing on his face. "Yamamoto-sama is preparing to attack this town. The angels will be here any minute now"

"What?" Rukia straightened up in shock, black hair falling across her face. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. Surely not.. she thought to herself. There was no way that the angels would attack a human settlement. But the grave look on her friends face told her otherwise. She slumped slightly. "Why?"

"He knows that the devil is in this town and he wants to kill him"

"What about the humans here? Surely he wouldn't harm them!"

But Renji shook his head, sadness appearing in his eyes. "He says that their sacrifice doesn't matter as it would have been for some greater good or something stupid like that! I came to warn you so that you get out of here in time. They won't stop even if they know that you're here." His voice gained an exasperated edge to it, showing how worried he truly was.

But Rukia wasn't listening to him anymore, the information running through her head. It just seemed so horrible, so.. inhuman. All her life, she had been told that the angels were all things that were pure and good. But in coming to the human world, she realized that angels were merely like humans with wings and powers. They were barely any different. They still sinned no matter what they did. It was in their nature. This was just one example of that and a horrific one too. The leader of the angels was meant to be a good person but someone who would willing destroy a whole town just to get what they want.. she shook her head in sadness, not wanting to believe that Yamamoto could do something that atrocious.

But then an unbidden memory rose to the forefront of her mind and she realized something with a gasp. She sat up, turning to Renji quickly. "The devil isn't here anymore!"

Renji leaned back, the tips of his wings curling slightly "What? How do you know that?"

Rukia glanced away, not wanting Renji to see the raw emotions that were flickering across her face. "I.." She paused before continuing. "I talked to him."

"You talked to him?" Renji looked at her in horror "Do you know how dangerous that is, Rukia?"

"I know… but I trusted him." She closed her eyes and breathed in deeply. "I won't make the same mistake again."

Renji watched her for a moment, eyebrows knitting together. He was concerned for his friend but he knew that he didn't have much time left before the angels came. "Rukia, we can't stop them even if we tell them that he isn't here."

"I know." Rukia said sadly. "I just wish that we could save the people. I was friends with some of them…" She trailed off, her eyes widening. "If I warn my friends, they might be able to get out of here in time. I could save them!" She leapt off the bed only to stop as Renji grabbed her arm.

"Rukia…" He said softly, dark eyes watching her. "Please promise me that you won't be here when the angels come. Please!"

Rukia smiled at him, her purple eyes lighting up "Of course I won't, Renji."

"Promise!"

"I promise." Then as Renji let go of her arm, she rushed out the door of the room, knowing in her heart that she would not leave this town no matter what. She could not. For some reason, it felt like home to her now and nothing could ever make her leave willingly.

The angel bounded down the stairs to see Isshin and his two daughters standing there, the father bouncing around quite strangely and the black-haired daughter yelling at him angrily. Rukia paused for a moment, a rush of sadness coming over her before Isshin turned and saw her standing there. He instantly dropped his funny attitude, a serious look appearing in his eyes. He could sense that something was wrong.

Rukia straightened up. "They're coming." She said softly. "They think he's here and so they're going to destroy the town."

Isshin's eyes widened in horror. "What?" He said, knowing that if the angels did come, their family would be the first to go. It wouldn't take the angels long to realize that they had been the ones who had taken care of him for those ten years and when they found out, he knew that they would be furious.

"If you hurry, you might be able to make it out before they come. But please hurry."

Isshin looked at her carefully for a moment but then he nodded. "Karin.. Yuzu. We're leaving now."

Karin looked at her dad, confusion etched on her face. "Why?"

"I'll explain it on the way. Just hurry."

The Kurosaki family began to rush around, and Rukia breathed a small sigh of relief, grateful that they would make it out in time. Then she raced out the front door and onto the street, hoping that she would make it in time to save the others.

Rukia ran down the street, ignoring the pain in her feet as her bare skin was cut on some glass that lay on the road. She could hear a sound coming from overhead, one that was all too familiar. "No…no.." She said softly, hoping that she wasn't too late. But as she rounded a corner, she felt something and she froze, a panicked look coming across her features. She looked up just as thousands of angels filled the sky, ready to destroy the town.

Rukia fell to her knees in despair, tears filling her eyes. They had come and there was no way she could stop them. She was just not powerful enough. The worst thing was knowing what they were going to do, especially to the people that she considered her friends. She looked away, not wanting to watch the destruction that was about to occur.

"Angels!" A powerful voice called and Rukia felt drawn to it but she resisted the urge. No matter what happened, she vowed not to be a part of this even if she had to die first. The angel looked up to see the ruler of the angels floating above the town. She knew him so well and as she looked at his wizened features and long flowing beard, she felt compelled to do whatever he asked. But then she tore her gaze away.

"No." She told herself sternly "I must resist it." Taking a deep breath in, she tried to calm herself and noticed that her hands were shaking slightly.

"Attack the town!" Yamamoto called in his deep voice and the angels fell on the town, causing the untold destruction.

Rukia watched in horror as the screams started. People ran from their homes in fear, children and adults alike, all running from one thing. The creatures with wings. But they ran in vain as the angels struck down each and everyone mercilessly. Buildings crumbled to the ground as the angels attacked and fires roared into existence. Rukia glanced around as bodies began to litter the streets, blood splattered across the ground.

Within minutes, the whole town lay in ruins and Rukia wept openly, distraught with the loss of her friends. But it was more than that. As an angel, she was against violence like this. It was in her blood and so to see something on this scale of destruction, it caused her more pain that she could ever have imagined.

But through the untold pain, she dimly realized that she could not allow the destruction to continue. Because the devil was not in Karakura town, when Yamamoto realized this he would continue to hunt for him, most likely destroying countless other cities and towns just like this.

Gathering her strength, the young angel stood up, wincing as a sharp pain lanced through her but she managed to take a step forward. Breathing in deeply, she braced herself for the pain and took another step, making her was towards the centre of the town, the place where Yamamoto was.

As she reached the centre she paused, hidden for a moment by the chunks of buildings that lay around her. She knew that this would be the end of her life, no matter what. Even if she did not die here, Yamamoto did not tolerate traitors very kindly and so she would probably be executed later. But if it stopped this violence, it would be worth it.

She took a step forward, her bare feet sliding across the ground just as a clear voice shouted out. "Stop!"

Rukia froze, her eyes widening in shock. She recognized the voice all too well and it sent a stab of longing through her. She turned her head slowly to see a figure walking through the destruction, his black wings spread out behind him.

She gasped. It was Ichigo. Untold joy filled her and it was all she could do not to run towards him but she stayed hidden, watching carefully. Ichigo walked forward slowly, his eyes the black and yellow colour of a demon. He was furious. His face was curled into a vicious snarl and his hands were clenched together. Dark, suffocating reiatsu swirled around him uncontrollably as he moved closer to Yamamoto.

Rukia watched him, shocked to see him this angry. She had never seen him like this and she felt a stab of fear go through her, realising just how powerful he truly was. The reiatsu was so powerful that she was forced to her knees, gasping for breath. But after a few moments, it dwindled slightly and she found that she could breathe again and she retreated back into the dark shadows, watching with fearful eyes.

Yamamoto's eyes narrowed as he saw Ichigo. "Finally you have come Devil." He held out one hand and a sword made of fire appeared in it, its heat scorching the very air around it.

Ichigo glared at him, barely containing his fury. "You killed them." He said softly, his voice low and filled with anger.

"It was your fault that this town had to suffer, devil. You could have saved them."

"Don't give me that crap!" Ichigo shouted, his eyes flashing dangerously. "It was you that attacked this town and so you alone will pay." He reached up with one clawed hand and traced a finger across the black tattoos on his arms. He whispered softly in an ancient language, his voice filled with power and the tattoos disappeared, his reiatsu surging in response.

Suddenly, someone appeared next to him and Rukia's eyes widened. "Impossible.." She whispered softly, leaning forward. This new person looked exactly like Ichigo except he was completely white. He wore a similar tattered black hakama and had large black wings. His spiky hair was a pure white and his skin was unnaturally pale.

Yamamoto even appeared surprised, his eyes widening a fraction before they narrowed. "Who is that?" He asked, eyeing the newcomer warily.

But before Ichigo could answer, the white twin spoke, a sadistic grin lighting up his face. "I'm Shiro." He drawled, snapping his black wings out behind him. "I'm Ichi's older brother." He sneered at Yamamoto but Ichigo placed a restraining hand on his shoulder.

"Shiro.." He said warningly "Take care of the others. He's mine." He turned back to face Yamamoto, a steely look in his black and yellow eyes.

Shiro studied his brother for a moment and then nodded. "Alright, but make sure that you don't get yourself killed King."

Ichigo grinned at him, "You either," and then Shiro spread his wings, launching off the ground to attack the nearest angel. Rukia's eyes followed him as he easily defeat numerous angels. He didn't look like he was even trying.

Turning her attention back to Ichigo, she noticed that Yamamoto was frowning slightly. "How is it that no one has heard of your so called brother before?"

But Ichigo was not in the mood for answering anymore questions. His wings were spread out to their full, ferocious length and his reiatsu was swirling around him once more. He growled angrily and rushed towards the leader of the angels, a long black sword appearing in his hand. He swung downwards but Yamamoto blocked the attack easily.

He looked up at Ichigo and raised one eyebrow. "Is that all you can do?"

But Ichigo wasn't finished yet. He held out his empty hand and a ball of black energy formed in it. Within seconds it had left his hand and hit Yamamoto. This time, the angel had to step back in order to completely block the attack but still, it had little effect on him. Yamamoto calmly eyed him "You are much weaker than I had thought." He said and suddenly Ichigo was thrown to the ground even though Yamamoto had not moved.

Rukia's eyes widened but she breathed a sigh of relief as she saw Ichigo getting to his feet, breathing heavily but still very much alive. Yamamoto said softly "Youngsters with no power can never hope to defeat me."

But Ichigo just grinned at him. "I haven't even shown you my true power or my true devil form, old man." He spat out the last two words as an insult, knowing just how annoyed the angel would be. He straightened up and placed a hand on his chest, positioning it directly over the hole that was surrounded by black markings. His reiatsu began to increase even further, further than Rukia had thought was possible and as it increased, Ichigo's body began to change.

Two large horns sprouted from his head as his teeth grew into large fangs. Red markings appeared over his face, giving it an animalistic appearance. His feet elongated, the claws become long and sharp talons. A long white tail whipped around him, decorated with deadly spikes. Ichigo was grinning as his body changed but then he turned his head slightly and saw Rukia looking at him, fearful and scared. Ichigo's eyes widened and suddenly he straightened up, his body returning to normal.

He kept watching Rukia and when his face was human again, an unspoken question appeared in his sad eyes.

Rukia gazed at him, all fear suddenly disappearing. She realized in that moment, as she looked at him, that no matter who he was, she loved him and nothing would be able to keep them apart. Her eyes met his, filled with longing, raw emotion flickering across them and she nodded slowly.

Ichigo's eyes widened a fraction before he smiled, a warm and genuine smile. That same smile seemed to fill Rukia up with happiness and she smiled back at him.

The two stood like that for a moment, ignoring the world around them. All that mattered to them were each other. But then Ichigo heard a sound and turned in shock to see Yamamoto appear in front of him. "Too late boy," He said and he struck Ichigo with one hand, the force of the block sending him into the ground.

Rukia gasped in horror and stood there, frozen as she watched the dust clear revealing Ichigo's battered form. His wings were a tattered and bloody mess, his face barely recognizable under the deep cuts. Shiro, who was fighting another angel, turned and saw Ichigo battered form. "Ichi!" He screamed, ignoring the pain of his own injuries as he raced through the air. Numerous angels struck at him but he kept flying. Nothing mattered except getting to his brother. In moments he was by Ichigo's side, his eyes furious. He turned to Yamamoto and screamed at him "Look what you did, you idiot!" He tried to rush towards him but he was too weak as well, blood pouring from his many wounds. "Damn.." He said before he collapsed to the ground.

Rukia finally felt control of her body come back to her and she rushed over, falling to her knees at Ichigo's side. "Ichigo.." She whispered to him, tears filling her eyes but even though he was still breathing, he didn't respond.

Shiro looked across at her in surprise, wondering if she was going to attack him but then he realized who she was and he smiled at her, his demonic eyes lighting up. "He loves you a lot" He said softly before his head rolled to one side, his chest no longer moving up and down. He was dead.

Rukia's eyes widened a fraction, shocked that Ichigo's brother had died. "Thank you" She said softly to him, knowing that he couldn't hear her. Then she stood up and whirled to face Yamamoto, anger clear on her face. "You.." She said furiously, holding one hand out in front of her.

Yamamoto watched her, slightly amused. "And what do you plan to do, angel?"

Rukia's eyes narrowed and her wings glowed brightly before shattering into a million piece. "Mae.." She said softly, letting her body rise up into the air. She spun around, a soft light coming from her and her eyes grew unfocused as she concentrated. Her black hair swirled around her head and suddenly, a brilliantly white sword formed in her hand, the white ribbon attached to its hilt swirling around her. Pure white reiatsu began to swirl and Rukia felt the power building up inside of her.

The sword began to emit a pure light, so bright that everyone who was watching had to turn away. "…Sode No Shirayuki."

Yamamoto's eyes widened and he flung up his hands to shield himself from the pure light that was overflowing from the sword. He resisted it but it slowly began to push him back, one step at a time.

But then the light disappeared and Rukia looked down in shock as the sword in her hand shattered into million's of pieces, falling to the ground. She looked up in despair. "No.." She said softly "I'm not powerful enough."

The angel closed her eyes as she saw Yamamoto start to walk towards her. "I'm sorry Ichigo." She said softly as she waited for the final blow.

But after a moment, she opened one eye, wondering why it was taking so long and she gasped with happiness. "Ichigo!" The orange-haired teen was standing in front of her, arms spread wide. Blood dripped from him and it was obvious that he was in pain but he masked it well and stared at Yamamoto in defiance.

"I won't let you kill her." He said calmly and Rukia felt something warm bloom inside of her.

Yamamoto studied the two of them for a moment and then nodded. "I can see that you have grown attached to this angel." He said wisely "Very well. I will honour your wish. She will not be harmed and she will be absolved of her sins if you willingly die."

Rukia gasped in horror. "No! I won't let him." Then she turned to face Ichigo and seeing the determined look in his eyes, pleaded to him. "Please don't do this."

But Ichigo paid no attention to her and instead nodded. "Very well." He breathed in slowly, preparing for the final blow.

Yamamoto raised his hand and struck Ichigo with all of his power. He fell to the ground but Rukia softened his fall with her wings. She held his body in her arms, eyes filling with tears. "Ichigo..Ichigo!"

Yamamoto watched her and sighed. He knew that it was over. No one could survive an attack like that but he let Rukia stay with the devil as he was going to die in soon anyway.

Rukia sobbed quietly and gently shook him. "Ichigo! Come on! You can't die."

Ichigo looked up at her and a small smile appeared on his face but the wounds were too much and he began to shudder uncontrollably as they took their toll. Rukia held him close until his shudders ceased and Ichigo said softly. "Rukia.." He reached up with one clawed hand and lightly touched her face, wiping away her tears. I always loved you and I'm truly sorry for lying to you. Please tell Keigo and the others for me that.." He began to cough violently, blood seeping out the corner of his mouth.

Rukia's eyes widened. He doesn't know, she thought sadly but she couldn't bring herself to tell him. He had already suffered enough loss. So instead she nodded to him, tears spilling over her cheeks. "I will. I'll tell them." She slipped her fingers into his hand and held it close, relishing in its warmth. "Ichigo.."She sobbed quietly. "I'm sorry for saying that I hated you. I never did. I always loved you." She lowered her head and brushed her lips against his. They stayed like that for a while until Rukia broke the kiss.

She looked down at him, a smile appearing on her face. "Don't worry Ichigo. You're not going to die. I won't let you."

Ichigo looked up at her, his eyes widening slightly before he smiled back at her. She seemed so confident, so sure that he was not going to die. But he knew otherwise. He could already feel his life slipping away from him. "Rukia.." His voice was barely a whisper as his vision began to go dark. "I love you." His grip in her hands became weaker as he fought to stay alive.

Rukia shook her head, clutching his hand tighter. "No.." She whispered softly, crystalline tears falling onto his face.

Ichigo moved his hand and lightly touched her face one more. A serene expression came over him. "I love you." And then the light in his eyes flickered before dying out, his head rolling limply to the side. It was finally over.

A ragged scream tore through the silence, filled with unspeakable pain as the rain began to fall.

It was over.

The devil was dead.

_It is said that in times of need, God sends an angel of help_

_But what if that angel was the one in need?_


End file.
